The Forest Child
by ancient-relic
Summary: Naruto comes to the aid of an injured girl in green, quickly becoming friends with her. When he brings her into his home, chaos ensues. And of course, Hayashi does everything she can to help that along...
1. Chapter 1

I posted this on deviantart, because my friend wanted me to post something. However, I still think that it makes more sense to post it here.

Please read and review, and tell me what _you_ think.

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**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything mentioned below- excepet Hayashi.

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**The Forest Child**

**Chapter One- Hayashi**

**By ancient-relic**

Naruto walked somberly through the woods, mulling over the day's events. By finally passing the Ninja Academy exam, he had become a ninja. Iruka-sensei had split all the graduates up into 3-man cells that day, placing him into Cell 7.

Haruno, Sakura; the pink-haired kunoichi of his dreams, was put onto his team. However, so was the class prodigy; Uchiha, Sasuke. In his opinion, the only thing he had going for him was that cold persona. If you liked that type of thing, that is. And the reason for that cold indifference? The half a mile long pole that seemed wedged up his ass.

Tomorrow, they were going to meet their new sensei, an elite Jounin. Supposedly, this new sensei was going to teach them everything that they needed to know in order to become an elite ninja, and to prepare them for the next exam that they would come across in their life- the Chunin exam. As Genin, that was the exam that everyone needed to pass to become a Chunin, which was the next level of ninja. Otherwise called a journey-man ninja, to become a Chunin was to become a ninja at the same level as Iruka-sensei. An elite ninja, or a Jounin, was the last level of ninja that you could achieve, which was also the level of their new sensei. The only thing that surpassed a Jounin, was the Hokage… but Naruto wasn't really worried about that. Because that was going to be him- one day. He'd be the fifth, for sure!

As he strolled through the woods, pondering everything that was to come on his sure-fire way to Hokage-dum, Naruto heard the disturbance in the trees before he saw it.

The forest was his sanctuary- his little quite place to go away from all the anger and hate that everyone seemed to harbor for him. The trees didn't shun him for something that he had no control over, and to them, he was more like the creatures that roamed about here than anything else. The spirit trapped inside of him saw to that.

This all being said, it was surprising when he heard the angry shouts of men faintly through the trees. Moments later, footsteps were approaching, and soon turned into the thundering foot-falls of the bodies that belonged to the voices that he had heard. A rustle in the trees told him that ninja passed overhead, but he paid no attention to those, as they paid no attention to him.

Where was everyone in a rush to get to? They were on the move- hunting down something… or some_one._ Dashing up the nearest tree, Naruto scampered out of the way just in time, as a group of farmers broke through the foliage, and rushed on in the direction that the other ninja had gone in.

"Hurry! Everyone, this way! She won't escape!" the leader yelled, dashing off again, holding a pitchfork in one hand, a hoe in the other.

_She? Just who are they after?_ Naruto wondered, looking down at the horde of men that moved under his feet. _Better follow, in case 'she' needs help._

With that parting thought, Naruto propelled himself through the trees, making a bee-line in the direction that the farmers were stampeding in. They appeared to be heading in a straight line though, so as soon as Naruto had passed the leader, he shot forward, with even more vigor. _What will happen if the ninja get to her first?_

Naruto still had no clue as to who this girl was, but he did want to get there first. Not only to stop something potentially dangerous from happening, (because he know how merciless these farmers were,) but to see what all the ruckus was about.

Just as Naruto was about to take off another branch, he was stopped by a kunai whizzing past his face. Turning his head in the direction that it came from, he jumped just in time to see a girl clad in green, black and brown touch down lightly at the very same spot, and dash off to the next branch on the next tree.

_That must be her!_ Naruto thought excitedly, watching as she disappeared into the foliage. Another kunai whizzed past his face, and he jumped out of the way again, and into the protective covering of an oak tree. The ninja that he had seen earlier were in hot pursuit of the girl that had dashed by, and they didn't even spare him a glance as they moved in unison toward their goal- which Naruto immediately assumed was the capture of that girl. _The farmers must have hired them, because they themselves couldn't keep up in the trees!_

With renewed enthusiasm, Naruto jumped to the ground, and took off in the same direction, this time beneath the ninja. Soon enough, the trees opened up into another clearing, and his eyes instantly focused on the grey-green blur that was dashing around the clearing, switching from the trees, to the ground and back again.

She dodged everything that was thrown at her with an ethereal grace, until one of the ninja got smart and moved around the other side of the clearing, waiting for an open shot.

Sure enough, just as the girl dashed out into the open, he flung a series of kunai and shuriken with deadly precision, right at the unsuspecting girl. As they zoomed toward her target, she whipped her head around, and her eves locked on the projectiles. She was in mid-jump, so there was nothing that she could do but to twist in the air, so that no vital spots were hit.

Instead of hearing a cry of pain, as he had expected, Naruto heard nothing from the mysterious girl as she crashed through the foliage, and hit the ground with a thud at the base of the tree across the clearing from him.

Naruto stared as the ninja moved closer, and took a deliberate step forward, intent on stopping the inevitable confrontation from happening. However, as he looked to the girl who still lay crumpled on the ground, his grim expression soon turned to one of wonder, as she pulled herself to her feet, blood trailing down her arms, and staining the brown leggings a murky color.

When she was fully on her feet, she pinned the ninja with a glare that froze them in their tracks. Naruto didn't need to look twice at her face to tell what her eyes were conveying- they were warning off predators not to come any closer. It was an animalistic expression that he felt strangely familiar with. He was certain he had worn it more than one in his lifetime.

However, it didn't stop the ninja for long, and Naruto heard the farmers thundering forward. High-tailing it back into a tree and out of the way, the angry mob barreled into the clearing seconds after. How had they still not seen him? Naruto figured it was that they were so bent on… whatever it was, that they were paying everything else no attention whatsoever.

A murmur of triumph rippled through the crowd, as they clustered around the ninja, staring at the battered girl in green. It was moments later, that the leader stepped forward again, and pointed his hoe at the girl.

"You're pathetic! We know that you're the one who has been stealing our livestock! 3 chickens, a pig and a cow! How long did you think that you could get away with it?" the man roared in anger, spit flying in every direction.

_Ah. So there's the reason… but to take it to this extreme?_ Naruto mused, looking on curiously. So she had stolen some animals. It must have been for food… right?

Naruto watched the girl, looking for the inevitable reaction to the man's harsh comments. He was still raging on about this and that, and was earning some cheers and sounds of agreement as he listed off her felonies.

Sure enough, he watched as her grey-green eyes narrowed, and her posture sharpened, despite the shuriken in her back. Her hands balled into fists, and she slipped into a partial defensive stance- one that he recognized as one of many that had been taught to him at the Academy.

"And what of it?" she said with a smirk, reaching behind to her back and pulling out all four shuriken without so much as a wince. Spinning them around her fingers a few times, she chucked them at the trees, and Naruto watched as two ninja fell out of the tree above her, a shuriken in a leg and an arm each.

"You've been a pain long enough! All the problems with equipment, the ruined harvests, the gates mysteriously being opened… It's all you! I don't have to see you do it to know that you're the culprit! And the men that you've injured while doing it?" Another spoke up, the meeker in the audience growing bolder and bolder by the minute.

The girl just continued glaring at the farmers, daring them to do something. "The animals tell me of the hardships that you out them through. You treat them like possessions, and not living beings! The pain, and suffering you put them through is unacceptable! I did what I could to help them, you imbeciles! And if you've got a problem with that, say it to my face!" she spat, the distaste obvious in her voice.

The men were growing more and more riled up as the argument progressed between them, and with her last comment, they were beyond the point of rational thought. Simultaneously, they charged at her.

As if expecting this, the girl crouched low, and jumped back against the tree before springing herself forward, and into the air above the crowd. Reaching behind her back, she pulled out a pair of sai, and landed amongst the farmers, and began taking them out with a lethal grace.

Naruto watched as she would swing about in a slashing motion, only to follow through with her other hand and spin around to block another blow. It was like an intricate dance, watching as she dipped and twirled, first evading and then attacking seconds apart. What also amazed him, other than the growing space that she was creating around her, was that the fact that no one she touched was dead. They were injured to the point where they couldn't fight any more, and lay rolling on the ground in pain.

And then, it was over as soon as it had started. The last farmer fell to the ground, knocked out and unconscious. However, the one thing that neither occurred to Naruto or the girl, was that the ninja had all disappeared. And as soon as that thought popped into his head, they attacked, senbon and shuriken raining down from the trees like rain from the heavens above.

It was impossible to dodge when she had not seen it coming, and so again, the mysterious girl was thrown to the ground. At this point, she couldn't even stand- let alone protect herself, so thinking fast, he used his new jutsu, and rushed to her aid.

_**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!**_

Naruto shouted his battle cry with pride as he launched himself out into the clearing, his clones echoing his action and taking out the ninja.

Naruto himself landed on the ground beside the girl with a thud, and picked his way over to where she lay. "Hey, you! Are you okay?" he asked, kneeling down beside the slumped form of the injured girl.

She turned her head, and her piercing grey-green eyes met his with a soundless clash. "I can't move. What do you think?" she said, narrowing her eyes at him.

Naruto just grinned. "You want to know what I think? I think that the enemy of my enemy is my friend."

This being said, Naruto gently scooped the girl up, amazed with how little she seemed to weigh. Looking around, he saw that his clones were finished with disposing of the ninja, and made all of them disappear with the exception on one.

"You should go tell Iruka-sensei that there was some trouble here in the forest… and get him to get these guys to the hospital, or something." Naruto said to his clone, who merely saluted, before dashing off into the woods, and out of sight.

Looking down at the girl in his arms, he was not at all surprised to see her glaring at him, a disbelieving look on her face. How she managed to look angry and disbelieving at the same time was a mystery… and so he didn't push it. "What?" he asked, taking off from the middle of the clearing.

"Why are you helping me?" she asked, sounding accusing.

"I already told you why. And because I want to, I suppose. I know what it's like to be hated." He said sullenly, his eyes focusing on somewhere far away.

The girls eyes softened a little, and she focused on where they were heading. After a while, she spoke up again.

"Where are we going?"

"My apartment. No one should find you there… unless they go looking for you. But even so, it should give you enough time to recuperate and get better before you move on to wherever." Naruto said, pausing to think about something.

"That is… unless you'd rather go somewhere else…"

"No! No… I don't really have anywhere. But give me a day or two, and I'll be out of your hair. I don't need to get you in trouble, too." The girl said, her voice slipping into a tone where Naruto couldn't read any emotion whatsoever in her voice.

He ran in silence for a long while after that, not realizing just how far he had followed them into the woods. He was nearing the edge of the tree line, when the petite girl in his arms spoke up again.

"I'm Hayashi. Thanks for helping back there… I might have died."

Naruto slowed a little, and looked down at the sharp eyes that were watching him intently. An easy grin stretched across his face, as he watched the Hayashi's eyes widen.

"Don't worry about it. I'm Naruto Uzumaki, at your service."

**To Be Continued…**

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**A/N:** So, There's the first chapter. Did you like it? Did you hate it? Please let me know. Constructive critisism is welcome, but so is praise!

The more reviews that I get, the faster I post the next chapter. To get me working on it though, I'm going to ask for 3-5 reviews.

And please feel free to ask questions... If you have any, that is. Let me know if your interested in seeing some pictures of Hayashi once I get them up on the computer, and I'll be sure to send them to you.

Don't forget to review, now!

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	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Please believe me when I tell you that I didn't mean to take so long to get the next chapter out. Really- There were some... _situations_ that came up, and got me suspended from the internet. So instead, I did some writing- and I got quite a few chapters done in advance! So... here you are- the second chapter! Please read, enjoy, and review!!

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**Disclaimer: **If I own anything at all- it will be Hayashi, and her animal friends that are mentioned- along with the corny summon/poem thing. The rest, sadly, is not mine.

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**The Forest Child**

**Chapter Two- Blood Bond**

**By ancient-relic**

Naruto watched as Hayashi slept peacefully underneath his comforter on the couch. She was pretty badly battered when he had first gotten her into his apartment, even though she had insisted that she was fine.

He'd barely done a decent enough job with the first aid before she had promptly passed out, but into a deep slumber. This left them where they were now.

Naruto stood up and stretched from where he was sitting, beside the couch. Taking a final glance down at Hayashi, he turned and sauntered off, heading into the bathroom to get changed and to shower.

As he left the room briskly, Hayashi stirred from her 'deep' slumber. Standing up from the couch, she folded the comforter neatly and placed it along the back of the plush chair beside it, and briskly moved towards the nearest window.

The only problem was, was that there was no window in sight. Sighing softly to herself, Hayashi continued on. _Gotta find a window if I'm going to call them in…_

Hayashi spent a good minute searching through the mess that was Naruto's apartment, wading through laundry and searching for a room with a window. She found a dusty room that was covered in dust, big white sheets hanging over what appeared to be furniture. But there was no window. She found the kitchen, which was full of dirty dishes, empty ramen containers, and glasses.

Still, no window.

_This is really starting to piss me off!_ An annoyed grimace made its way across her face as she accidentally brushed her arm across a wound at her side.

Walking down a hallway that she had never noticed before, she came to a closed door. On the other side though, she could hear the water running.

The bathroom.

Across from that, another closed door came to her attention. Opening it, she found a room bathed in a dim yellow glow. There was no light… it was the color of absolutely everything. The walls were painted a pale yellow(which was peeling in places), and the bedspread was the same pale color, though there were faint discoloration's that Hayashi suspected to be ramen stains. There was a small nightstand beside the bed and a dresser beside the closet across the room. The only thing that adorned the walls were some out-dated movie posters, and a poster that said: 'Never give up, Never give in.' There was a small window opposite the door, but it was too small to even summon Kizu.

_This must be Naruto's room…_ Hayashi guessed, softly shutting the door and moving down the hall. Again, she came across two doors directly across from her at the end of the hall.

On the right side, the door opened up into what looked like an over-cluttered study. There were scrolls scattered over a long desk that stretched along the length of the wall, and across from that was a few book shelves that contained elemental scrolls, technique scrolls, and some dusty books that looked like they hadn't been touched in at least a year. There was a strange looking dummy tied to the wall with a mask covering its face, and a paper with a name she couldn't make out tacked to the wall by multiple shuriken and kunai.

Turning to exit the room, her eyes came to rest on the door that was across from her, shut closed. Sighing, she mentally crossed her fingers, before walking into the room.

It was a pale green color, and it strongly reminded Hayashi of spring. But she liked it. There was a dusty four poster bed, a plush chair with dangling frills, and a dresser with a cracked mirror on the same wall as the door. And then, at the bare end of the small room, there was a small door, locked with a simple latch.

Walking towards it, Hayashi forced it open to find that it led out onto a small balcony, facing the famous Hokage monument. _Ah…_ she sighed in triumph._ Perfect. Now… to summon them!_

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Naruto stepped out of the shower stall, and shook his head like a doll. It had always been fun to do it like a dog… Quickly drying himself, he pulled on a black pair of cotton pajamas, pulling a thin black yukata over top. He didn't really need it, but he liked it anyhow. He brushed his teeth, dried his hair (shook it some more) and put away his toothbrush and towel. 

When that was done, he made his way out of the bathroom, down the hall, and into the kitchen to put the water on to boil.

"Ramen… ramen… where are you?" Naruto searched in vain through the cupboard units that lined two out of the four walls of the kitchen, but found none.

"Awww… and I was really hungry!" Naruto cursed under his breath, but took out two tea bags. If he couldn't have ramen, he could make some tea for him and Hayashi.

Walking back out to the couch, Naruto was shocked to see Hayashi gone, the blanket neatly folded in her wake. "Where'd she go?" Naruto said aloud, fearing for his friend. She was still badly injured…

And that's when a particular scent caught his nose. It was the smell of freshly cut wood- along with the smell of pine needles. It was the same thing that he smelt whenever Hayashi went past him- though it had only happened twice.

But just as soon as he had smelled it, it was gone. She hadn't walked past him, so where did it go? He caught it again, making his head whip around. "There!" It was coming from the hallway.

Naruto followed the smell to the bathroom, and then he lost it again. "What the heck is going on?" Naruto muttered, poking his head into his room, and the bathroom but finding nothing.

There it was again, drifting down the hallway on a faint breeze. _Wait. A breeze?_ _The balcony!_ Naruto shut his door, and turned and headed down the hallway.

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Hayashi stood silently on the balcony, allowing the breeze to caress her arms, and twist through her long brown hair. Brushing her green bangs out of her face, her grey-green eyes snapped open with a startling ferocity. She was ready to begin.

_Oh Lord of the Wind, _

_Hear my call-_

_Prince of Earth;_

_Catch my fall…_

_Heiress of the Dark;_

_Guide me through the night,_

_And O King of Fire_

_Please give me light._

_Last, you, Dame of Ice_

_Give to me the grace,_

_To fight- to grow, _

_And protect our place._

Hayashi's voice echoed eerily over the monument, her bright green chakra licking out from her clasped hands. The winds picked up, and a shrill cry rang through the area. It was a eagle's cry.

Hayashi looked up with a smile, seeing the faint silhouette of Kizu soaring against the clouds. "Hey!" she smiled, and waved gently, because moving her arm agitated her wounds. Kizu let out another shrill cry, and began a spiraling descent toward Naruto's little balcony.

Looking down for the sight of her other friends, Hayashi watched for the familiar sight of the brown form of Kouro, dashing across the plains to get to her. Soon enough, Hayashi saw him, dashing from house-top to house-top.

She smiled. Three left to find…

Looking to the shadows, she realized that Kuro would be the hardest to find. She was a master of disguise… and she would not allow herself to be seen, unless that was what she wanted. Hayashi inspected every shadow carefully, looking for the eerie distortion that signified Kuro's presence.

Finally, she spotted the small, winding shadow that was Kuro, twisting across walls and along the ground, and finally, onto the street that housed Naruto's apartment.

Hayashi didn't have to wonder about Koori and Kaji, because she knew how they loved to make a flashy entrance. A blast of chilly air, followed by a wave of heat assaulted her face, and Hayashi looked to the top of the Hokage monument. There they were- Koori and Kaji, standing side by side.

It had never seemed to bother them, even though that they were opposite species. Koori, the Dame of Ice and Water, was a wolf. She was calm, collected, and extraordinarily fast on her feet in the heat of battle, and was often the mediator between Kuro and Kaji's fights. Kaji was the King of Fire, made so by the death of his father. He was headstrong and boastful, with an equally fiery personality to match. His power was everything he boasted it to be, and he had never let her down once. The two were like Ying and Yang… but they were still inseparable. This was the only thing that really mattered between them…

Kouro was the funny one- he always managed to make the best out of a bad situation. And Kuro? She… was the pessimist. She has a dark mind, she had a notorious bad streak, and she couldn't stand Kaji… but she was still a great friend. Loyal, to the very end. Oh, and extraordinarily crafty… she made her father, Manda, proud.

Hayashi watched as all of her friends converged on the balcony, with a little help from Kizu. When he was done manipulating the air currents, the animals were resting peacefully on the balcony, despite the cramped space. That was until…

_"That wassss my tail that you jussst ssstepped on, you bumbling idiot!"_ Kuro hissed at Kaji, whose ears instantly flattened against his head, and his eyes glowing in silent anger.

"_I have not moved from my place since I landed here. If you didn't insist on stretching out, than you wouldn't even need to be in my vicinity!! I can't wait for the day when I can roast you…" _Kaji growled, snarling and snapping at the amethyst-eyed snake, who curled up the balcony railing to meet the 300 pound tiger eye to eye.

"_Jussst back off, you ssstupid bumbling exsscussse for a cat!"_ Kuro hissed, only to be scooped up by the nimble hands of Kouro.

"_Hey. Hey now, everyone. Hayashi called us here for a reason!"_ the monkey chattered, his tail twitching and curling around the balcony rail he was sitting on.

"_Put me down!"_ Kuro wriggled impatiently. It was no small feat to watch Kouro trap the 15 foot long snake in his grip of steel, despite the major difference in size.

"_Hush, Kuro."_ Koori demanded, looking to Kaji who sat bristling, Kizu who sat silently on Hayashi's shoulder, and then back to Kouro and Kuro. _"Can't you see that Hayashi is injured? We were called here to heal her!!"_

Kaji turned his head to meet Hayashi's stare, and she watched in faint amusement as his nostrils flared as he inhaled. Almost comically, Kaji's black eyes widened, and he growled. _"Who has done this to you?"_

"Just some farmers- mad I took some livestock." Hayashi said, shrugging her shoulders, which knocked Kizu off his perch. "Sorry,"

Kizu landed on the railing, and turned his head to the side. _"Don't worry. I'm fine- it's you that we should be worried about."_

"_You had help."_ Koori said, sauntering forward and pressing her cold nose up against the inside of Hayashi's wrist. _"I can smell him on you… miso?"_

"He just likes ramen, that's all…" Hayashi laughed. "But yeah. He saved me from the farmers… I owe him." She finished, seriously.

The five animals that were there stared at her blankly, as Hayashi stared right back at them.

"_You're ssseriousss?"_ Kuro said, surprised.

"_Yeah, you're really going to do that? You do know the depth of one of those bonds, right?" _Kaji rumbled, pressing himself up against Hayashi.

"Yeah, I know. But I think it's worth it. Did you know that he's the fox-child?" Hayashi said, turning to look at her friends. The reaction was nothing less than what she'd expected it to be.

"_Are you serious?"_ Koori asked, her expression as surprised as a wolf's could be. _"The Kyuubi-?"_

"_Yeah. I thought something that I sensed was a little off,_" Kouro said, wringing his tail in his hands.

"_Poor kid. I can understand your sentiments…"_ Kizu chirped, clicking his beak.

"_After all, you had ussss. He had no one."_ Kuro mumbled.

"You showed me kindness. He showed me kindness… it's the least I can do- the Kyuubi is one of you, right?" Hayashi said, looking at her feet.

"_In a sense… we're both animals- but his power is different from ours. We are all the elemental heirs. His power was his own. Different, if you will…"_ Koori said, sitting on her haunches. Everyone sat silently as Hayashi considered this in her head.

"_Manda issss calling to me."_ Kuro said suddenly, rearing from her spot on the balcony. _"We have to do thissss fasssst."_

"_That's true. The boy is out of the shower."_ Kaji stated, his nostrils flaring again as he took a big whiff of the air.

"_Okay then. Hayashi…?"_ Koori said, as she rose. The five animals moved to circle Hayashi, as she moved to the center of the balcony to give Kaji and Koori as much room as possible.

As they took their places in a five point pattern, Hayashi immediately felt their powers rise. The wind was the first thing that she noticed, followed by the faint rumble of a subtle earthquake. Kaji began emitting a faint light, and the shadows that it created danced under Kuro's power. Soon, Koori's power was the last to surface, glazing the balcony and the railings in crystallized ice.

Hayashi felt the power flow into her then, and she watched as her wounds healed before her very eyes. Her strength and her senses returned, as her friends disappeared.

"_Thank you…"_ her thanks blew away on Kizu's winds. Turning to go back inside, she smiled.

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Naruto stepped into the room at the end of the hall as he felt a wave of power. _What the hell-?!_

Pausing for a moment, he waited, and sniffed the air tentatively. Nope. Nothing…

Taking several cautious steps through the room, he looked around for Hayashi. However, since he didn't see her, he assumed she was still on the balcony. He could smell the fish that the East Wind from the market brought into his house. Which -however strangely- made him crave miso ramen.

Ramen on his mind, he walked around the corner, and straight into Hayashi. With a deft hand, she reached out and grabbed him by the arm.

"Watch it, buddy. You should really be more careful, you know." She said, crossing her arms as he straightened himself.

"Wha-? How did… but, you-" Naruto stuttered through all the thoughts that were going through his head, trying to make something come out that actually made sense.

It didn't work.

"Calm yourself." Hayashi smiled, grabbing his hand, and dragging him out onto the balcony that she had just vacated.

"What? How… why are you up? You've got some serious injuries!" Naruto said, looking over Hayashi frantically.

"Nope. All healed," Hayashi grinned. This was just too fun...

"Wh- how?! Will you teach me how?" Naruto asked, his blue eyes widening comically.

"I can't… not right now. But maybe later… 'Cause it's a secret." Hayashi laughed, before putting on a very serious look. "But there is something that you and I have to do, right now."

"What?" Naruto asked, half of his mind focused on what possible method that she could have used to heal herself, as he ran his eyes over her body, looking for scars.

"Do you have something sharp?" she asked, pulling a sai out from behind her.

"What for?" Naruto asked, eyeing the blade in Hayashi's hand nervously. He'd seen how she moved with them- and he really didn't want to be on the receiving end of one of those attacks.

Hayashi shot him a glare. "Don't question me- just do it." She grinned, though her eyes still held a dangerous look. Naruto quickly did as he was told, and pulled out a kunai from the little pouch he wore around his waist at home, just in case.

"Now what?" he asked, looking at Hayashi warily.

"Which hand do you write with?" she asked, twirling the sai in her hand absent-mindedly.

"My right." Naruto replied, without missing a beat.

"Great!" Hayashi's head snapped up, sending her hair fluttering around her. "I'm left-handed, so this works out well."

Taking the sai in her right hand, she deftly slashed her left hand in a shallow motion across her palm. "Do this, to your right hand." Hayashi said simply, watching as blood bubbled to the open cut she had just administered.

"I can't do that!" Naruto said, terrified.

"Why? Afraid of a little blood?" Hayashi teased, pushing her palm into his face.

"No, it's not that…" Naruto said, side-stepping her hand. "I can't do it with my left hand! I'll make a mess!!" he whined, looking at his right hand almost lovingly.

"The first thing I'm going to teach this kid is how to use both hands…" Hayashi muttered darkly to herself. Naruto caught it.

"You're going to TRAIN ME?" Naruto said, instantly excited.

"Not if you don't do this," Hayashi threatened, holding up her hand. Naruto looked at the little rivulets of blood that were running sluggishly down her wrist, and at the kunai that he was holding.

Taking a deep breath, he cut a jagged slash into his hand, hissing in pain. "Th-there. Now what?"

"Hold out your hand, like this." Hayashi instructed, and put out her hand. Naruto mirrored her, and tenses a little when she clasped hands with him.

"Now, be strong. This might sting a little." Hayashi chuckled, and muttered something under her breath that Naruto didn't understand. It seemed to be in a foreign language.

Suddenly, her eyes glowed an iridescent green, and Naruto felt a smaller wave of the same chakra that he'd felt earlier. _What is she doing?_

A bright light surrounded their two linked hands then, and Naruto covered his eyes with his other hand as it got to bright to bear. The last thing that he saw was the power radiating from Hayashi, her brown hair blowing backwards in the wind. Her face was twisted into a half-smile, half-grimace, and her laughter reached his ears as the light faded.

Releasing his hand, Naruto watched as Hayashi slumped to her knees, her good arm supporting her from completely collapsing to the ground. "Are you all right?" Naruto cried, rushing to help her up.

"Oh yeah," Hayashi weakly waved it off. "Just give me a couple of minutes, and I'll be all right."

"What on earth did you just do?" Naruto asked, looking at Hayashi's hand. The blood was gone. Looking down at his own wrist, the blood there was gone, too.

"Look!" Hayashi said, happily. Holding up her hand, she showed him the palm that she had just cut. There was no trace of anything… just a small red mark right beneath her forefinger. Upon closer inspection, Naruto noted that it was a small spiral.

"And on your hand," Hayashi grabbed Naruto's right hand, and opened it, palm up.

Naruto looked, wide-eyed, at the little green circle with the character for animal inside it, in the same spot on his hand as Hayashi's little mark was.

"What does it mean?" Naruto asked, as Hayashi held their hands together, in the same way as she had before.

Suddenly, a tingling feeling ran through him, starting at his hand. It felt like his arm was falling asleep, until his mind exploded.

Well, not literally… but wave upon wave of sensations washed up against his mind, causing him to flinch away from Hayashi, breaking their contact. As soon as their hands weren't connected, the sensations disappeared.

"What the hell?" Naruto cried, looking from his hand, to Hayashi. "What did you do to me? What was that?"

"That was my mind." Hayashi said easily, looking at Naruto with a faint smile. "We're connected by a blood bond, now. You won't be getting rid of me anytime soon, my friend."

Naruto's mind was going a mile a minute. _Blood bond?_ He turned his wide blue eyes on her as she continued talking.

"You saved my life. Now, we're bonded. If you're ever in trouble, I'll be able to tell, through this bond. You're connected to me in the same way, but it'll take some practice to be able to connect to me as easily as it is for me to connect to you. That was, I can save your life- and we're even." Hayashi explained, pulling a shell-shocked Naruto through the house to the kitchen.

_So… what does this all mean?_ Naruto thought to himself, more than thoroughly confused.

"It means, they we're together now. Friends, companions- I can tap into your thoughts, your energy… your _mind._ Eventually, you'll be able to do the same to me. It's the best way for me to help you out," Hayashi said, sitting Naruto at the table, as she rummaged around to find a pair of glasses.

"We're a part of each other. It's on my honor that I help, guide, and protect you until the debt is fulfilled. A part of this is helping you out of tough situations, and teaching you to better protect yourself."

"So you really _are_ going to teach me?!" Naruto asked, his interest skyrocketing.

"Yup. Anything and everything. Starting with how to use your left hand in battle." Hayashi grinned, placing a glass of water in front of him. Naruto downed it in one gulp. "And maybe, I'll teach you a trade mark weapon, like me and my sai." Naruto smiled widely.

"But a few changes are going to have to be made… especially around this house." Hayashi tutted, looking in distaste at the disarray in the kitchen. "And I want the green room with the balcony."

"Okay…" Naruto said hesitantly, staring at his glass.

"I'll need you to buy me a cloak- long… black, and with a hood. Right now." Hayashi said, snapping Naruto out of his daze. "And a copy of the key to the apartment, since I'm living here now. I'll grocery shop tomorrow."

"Okay?" Naruto said, jumping up. Hayashi tossed him a couple of coins.

"Go!" Hayashi shooed him out the front door, and turned to face the mess that was the house.

_Oh boy…_

With a few quick hand seals, four clones of Hayashi surrounded her. "Time to clean!" Hayashi grinned to her clones, and they all saluted before disappearing to do just that.

* * *

Naruto walked back from the market, a few packages in hand; Hayashi's cloak, her key, some ramen, and a new carton of milk for tomorrow morning.

Walking up to his apartment, Naruto slipped into the room, only to have his mouth hit the floor. Everything was sparkling clean- and Hayashi was slumped across the couch, a pair of gloves still on her hands, and her hair tied messily back from her face. A bucket of cleaning supplies sat in front of her, along with a broom and a mop.

Naruto smiled. This wasn't going to be so bad… not at all. Placing the food in the kitchen and Hayashi's stuff on the coffee table, he slumped into a chair beside Hayashi and promptly fell asleep, with happy thoughts running through his mind.

**To Be Continued…**

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**A/N:** All right, then! So there's that chapter- hope you enjoied it!! You know the drill- 3 reviews for the next chapter. M'Kay? Oh! And if you want, I'll put some information up on Hayashi's animal summons in the next chapter. If you want me to, that is. Let me know. 'Kay?

So don't forget to review, please and thanks!!

**ancient-relic**

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_**Edited/Reposted:** 08/17/07_


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **Okay. Here's the next chapter... I was a little hesitant about posting it. I know that I have readers... otherwise my personal ratings would be a lot more different. But why isn't anyone reviewing? It makes me sad inside!! T-T

I hope that you readers will enjoy this chapter enough to review... oh yes! I've been given a request by a friend... but you'll read more about it after the chapter, I suppose.

Anyhow, please enjoy!!

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**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything. Sadly. It belongs to someone else...

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**The Forest Child**

**Chapter Three: Cell 7**

**By ancient-relic**

Naruto woke up gradually, blinking several times to clear the sleep from his eyes. Sweet smells wafted in through the kitchen, making his stomach rumble.

_Mmm… that smells really good!_

Naruto climbed from his position on the chair, and took three steps forward, only to trip over the broom that Hayashi had left lying out the other night.

"Owwww!" Naruto yelped, wincing and rubbing his head.

"Oh! You're awake!" Hayashi called, sticking her head out of the doorway to the kitchen. "Come on in! Breakfast is ready!!" she called, smiling.

Naruto forgot his pain, and dashed to the table, where breakfast was laid out in front of him. On the table sat; a bowl of rice, some pickled radish and crunchy pickles, a few rolls of sushi, and an omelet with what looked like peppers, and ham in it.

"Wow! This looks great!!" Naruto cheered, looking up Hayashi with a wide grin on his face. "Where'd you get all the food?"

"I did some shopping earlier." Hayashi said, shrugging her shoulder.

"Earlier?" Naruto asked his mouth full of rice.

"Yeah… it's habit. Getting up early, I mean." Hayashi chuckled, scratching her head.

She sat at the table, already having eaten, watching as Naruto scarfed down his food with a ravenous motion. "Here," Hayashi handed him a glass of orange juice. He downed it in a gulp. Taking the glass from him, she replaced it with a glass of milk. He downed it, too.

Once all the food was gone, Naruto dumped his dishes in the sink. "Thanks for the great food!!" Naruto cheered again, hugging Hayashi briefly, before dashing away to shower and get dressed before he had to meet his new team. He had just less than half an hour.

Hayashi smiled a little, before she set to cleaning up the rest of the dishes. She heard the water turn on, before she began her work. And still, there was a lot to do today…

* * *

Naruto nearly slipped on the clean floors in the bathroom as he traipsed out of the shower, and dashed across the hall in a towel to his room.

It was clean there too! Naruto began to wonder if there was somewhere in the house that Hayashi hadn't cleaned. Moving over to his closet, he opened it, only to find that more than half of his clothes were missing.

"What the hell?" he roared, his grip tightening on his towel as he stomped to the kitchen, where Hayashi was still cleaning.

Hayashi listened to his footsteps as they approached, and jumped to the ceiling, where she hung, suspended with chakra.

"HAYASHI!" Naruto called, clearly frustrated.

Hayashi snickered at the sight- Naruto's hair was sopping wet, dripping down his back all the way down to the towel that was wrapped around his waist.

"Where are-"

Naruto didn't have a chance to finish his statement, as Hayashi dropped down from the ceiling, and landed in front of him with a thud. In surprise, Naruto fell flat on his back. However, his shock wore off in seconds, and he was quickly back on his feet.

"What did you do with my clothes? What am I supposed to wear? And I'll have you know, that it's totally unfair that you keep using these neat little tricks when I can't!" Naruto huffed, glaring at Hayashi, who had a face-splitting grin on her face.

"They needed to be washed. Besides. Orange is so bright! How do you expect to be stealthy in that? I got you a new outfit." Hayashi said, and tossed Naruto a little package wrapped in brown paper. It was quickly followed by his coin purse, which Naruto had fondly named Gama-chan.

Gama-chan looked a little underweight.

"Where did all my money go?" Naruto whined, looking feebly at the coin purse.

"Towards good causes," Hayashi replied. "Get dressed. You're running out of time!"

"Crap!" Naruto cursed, grabbing his package and his slipping towel before dashing away again.

"A lot to work on… yes indeed." Hayashi chuckled, going to grab her new cloak.

* * *

Naruto stepped out of his apartment, and deftly locked the door behind him. Where had Hayashi gone to?

"_I'm right here."_ A voice replied. Naruto's head spun around, looking for the source of the voice, but the hall was deserted.

"_Remember the mark? Short distance communication,"_ Hayashi said, and Naruto realized that she was in his head.

"Can I do that too?" he asked aloud, walking out of the building and feeling a little strange. There was no one around… talking out loud looked a little weird.

"_Then talk in your head!"_ Hayashi insisted._ "Think what you want to say, and direct it at me!"_

Naruto wrinkled his nose in distaste for a moment, but did as Hayashi instructed.

"_Where are you?"_

"_Around,"_ Hayashi replied slowly. _"I'll be with you today… but not where you can see me."_

Naruto felt as Hayashi let her mind brush against his, and he felt the same burst of power as last time, though it was somewhat muted.

"_Hurry. You're late."_ Hayashi said suddenly, before her presence disappeared.

Naruto froze a moment, before he dashed off across the roof tops, to the designated meeting stop that his new sensei had picked.

* * *

"Where is our new sensei?" Sakura wondered to herself, irritable. "Sasuke and Naruto aren't here yet, either."

Sakura pouted. Inner Sakura agreed.

A sudden voice startled her out of her gloomy thoughts, and Sakura spun around to see Sasuke walking towards her. "Are you the only one here?"

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura cried, while Inner Sakura cheered. _**Alone with Sasuke! Cha!**_

"Uh, yes. No one else seems to be here…" Sakura finished, blushing profusely.

Sasuke made a _harrumph_-ing sound, and leant against the bridge railing.

While Sakura contemplated her next plan to bring Sasuke closer, a navy blur caught her attention.

"Ohayo, Sakura-chan! Sasuke-teme!" Naruto called, coming to a stop at the foot of the bridge.

Sakura and Sasuke stared at Naruto, who was noticeably missing his trade mark orange jumpsuit. Instead, he was wearing black hakama that were tucked and bound into his sandals, and a blue and black version of his other jumpsuit jacket, with some slight changes. The collar still folded over in white fluff, through it was smaller, and attached to a hood in the back. As Naruto walked past his two teammates, they caught sight of an orangey-red spiral that was stitched into the back of the jacket.

His jacket was undone- and a white t-shirt showed through- matching the bandages at his ankles, and the white fluff that lined his jacket.

_Naruto almost looks…_ Sakura thought, though Inner Sakura quickly cut her off. _**Don't do there! Our eyes are only for Sasuke-kun, CHA!**_

Sakura shook her head, and grinned. That was too true! Naruto was a loud-mouthed knuckle-head. And that was all there was to it.

Sasuke watched as Naruto headed to sit at the foot of a tree on the other side of the clearing, crossing his legs, and placing his hands on his knees. What was he doing? His eyes closed next, and his lips moved, as if he was talking to someone.

* * *

Frowning, Sasuke started to walk over to the tree that Naruto sat underneath. He showed no signs of realizing that someone was approaching.

_What a dobe, trying to act cool… I'll set him straight, right here, and now._

Naruto smiled as he listened to Hayashi criticize Sasuke. _"He slumps as he walks, he drags his feet, his hairstyle looks like a chicken's ass… and I swear that he's going to have permanent frown lines on his face by the age of fifteen!! Overall though, he looks like he's a much better ninja than pinkie, over there…"_

"_Watch it! Don't criticize Sakura-chan!"_ Naruto huffed, his smile turning into a frown. Mumbling to himself, he muttered something about an uncanny hate for the colour pink.

"_Damn straight, I hate the colour pink!"_ Hayashi roared, making Naruto wince._ "Sorry."_

Naruto was about to make a retort, when Hayashi dropped the link. She'd always been the one to start the conversations, so he had no idea how to connect to her again.

However, soft footsteps alerted him of the reason as to why she'd cut the link.

"Dobe." Sasuke said, standing with a brooding slouch, his hands in his pockets.

"Sasuke-teme…" Naruto replied, standing up and narrowing his eyes. "What do you want?"

"Nothing much…" Sasuke replied, shrugging his shoulders. "I've just got a question for you."

Naruto hesitated a moment, before replying. "You want to ask _me_ a question?" he asked incredulously.

"Yeah. What's up with the new outfit? It doesn't suit you… what- you trying to be something that you're not." Sasuke smirked, watching for a reaction.

Naruto fumed instantly, his face changing through several expressions rapidly. "What? I'll have you know that- Hay-" Naruto started, though he never got a chance to finish.

A dark blur had dropped down from the trees above, and landed within inches from his face, with its back to Sasuke.

Naruto looked wide-eyed at Hayashi as she held a strong hand over his mouth, preventing him from saying anything. The look in her green eyes was dangerous, and they silently warned him.

"_Don't say anything. This… us… needs to be a secret as long as possible. There's something that I have to do, okay? Getting yourself into intentional trouble doesn't make my job any easier. Got it?"_

Naruto, still unable to speak, nodded meekly. Hayashi's face softened, as did her grip on his face. Naruto's eyes widened at the new emotion that he saw flash through her eyes- but it was quickly replaced when he felt her tense.

Sasuke, angry at being ignored, put a hand on Hayashi's shoulder, meaning to turn her around.

However, Hayashi didn't take to being manhandled very well, and in a flurry of movements, she'd used a reverse hold on Sasuke, and flipped him over her shoulder, pinning him to the ground with the back of her knee.

"What the-" Sasuke grunted, as he had the air knocked out of him. Sakura's gasp of surprise reached their ears, and Hayashi looked up to see Sakura had run over.

"Let Sasuke-kun go!" she cried, grabbing a kunai from her holster on her leg.

Hayashi stared at her from the depth of her hood for a moment, before removing her knee from Sasuke's back, almost obligingly. However, as soon as he started to rise from his position on the ground, Hayashi slammed a foot into his back.

Gasping in anger, Sakura threw the kunai at Hayashi's figure. However, it was replaced by a log, which landed rather painfully on Sasuke's head, knocking him down for a third time.

"Where'd she go?!" Sakura shrieked, spinning around right into a handful of senbon, being pointed at her by Hayashi.

"_Wow, you're fast."_ Naruto commented, grinning at Hayashi's figure.

"_You ain't seen nothing yet,"_ Hayashi chuckled._ "Give me a decent opponent, and I'm amazing."_ She boasted.

"Who are you?" Sasuke demanded, having finally risen to his feet. "You're faster than any of the genin that I know…"

"That's because I'm not a genin, chicken-ass." Hayashi spat, pushing past Sakura, the senbon disappearing into her sleeves of the new cloak.

"Chicken-ass," Sasuke said, raising his eyebrows.

"Yeah!" Hayashi grinned; her teeth catching some light- making them seem to float in the darkness underneath her hood. Sasuke took a step backwards as she took another one forwards.

"Didn't anyone tell you that the back of your head looks like a chicken's ass?" Hayashi grinned, sauntering over to Naruto and standing beside him with her arms crossed. She held herself in a tense position, Naruto noted, as he looked away from Hayashi and back to Sasuke with a grin.

"Hn." Sasuke grunted, opting for a noncommittal grunt.

"Who I am, is no concern to you." Hayashi stated, letting her cloak show her arms as she moved them. With her left hand, she pulled out a sai, and pointed it at Sasuke.

"What is of concern to you, is that if I ever sense mal intent coming from you, directed at Naruto, I will cover you in feathers, and glue a beak to your face before kicking your ass clear across Konoha. Do you think that chickens can fly?" she threatened, musing to herself.

"Chicken's don't fly." Naruto said, under his breath. Hayashi bopped him in the head.

"Well he will, when I'm done with him!" Hayashi said, pushing Naruto over, and jumping into the air, before promptly disappearing in a flurry of leaves.

* * *

Kakashi watched in mild interest at the forest child threatened the last Uchiha of Konoha. This was certainly interesting…

"Naruto has a bodyguard!" Kakashi chuckled, as he appeared in the middle of the clearing- in the spot that Hayashi had vacated moments earlier.

"Hello, everyone! I'm your new sensei, Hatake Kakashi!" he chirped, smiling beneath his mask.

The three genin stared at him for a moment, before he was barraged with angry questions.

"What took you so long?!"

"You're our new sensei? Why didn't you deal with that girl? She threatened Sasuke-kun! Aren't you supposed to protect your students?"

"You don't look like much."

Kakashi watched, amused, as Sasuke let the other two pester him- choosing to watch from a few feet away. Obviously, he wasn't intent on anymore close encounters- with anyone.

"Okay, okay. Please, let me explain. On my way here, I noticed that the Hokage monument was missing some detail on the Fourth's face. So, I rigged a lift and chiseled his cheekbones to the proper proportions." Kakashi explained, watching as the looks on his students' faced changed from anger, to horror, to outrage.

"YOU LIAR!"

Kakashi put up his hands. "Whatever. Now, why don't you tell me a little bit about yourselves? Your names… likes, dislikes… hobbies- goals?"

"Why don't you show us how it's done?" Naruto questioned, sitting down against his tree, as Sasuke did the same on one near by. Sakura sat herself somewhere in the middle.

"Yeah! The only thing that we know about you is that you're a great liar, Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura chimed in, looking at him with a frown.

"Okay…" Kakashi sighed, scratching his head. "You already know my name- Hatake Kakashi. I'm the kind of person who doesn't feel much like telling three little kids my likes and dislikes! My dreams for the future don't concern you, and are therefore none of your business. And I have lots of hobbies- too many to talk about. Not that you'd be allowed to hear them, anyhow… 14A, you know."

Sakura, Naruto and Sasuke stared blankly at Kakashi as he grinned at them. _"Well, he said a lot, but we didn't learn much, eh?"_ Hayashi said, startling Naruto, making him fall over. Which was quite the interesting feat, because he was already on the ground.

"You- blondie. You can go first." Kakashi said, pointing a gloved finger at Naruto.

"Ummm… what?" Naruto stared blankly at Kakashi, deciding on who to respond to- Kakashi or Hayashi.

"_Kakashi, fool. No one knows I'm still here taking to you!"_ Hayashi picked for him.

"O-okay…" Naruto said, sitting back up. "My name is Uzumaki Naruto! What I like is an instant cup of ramen- and Hay-" _"Shut-UP!" _"-my best friend's omelets. What I like even better than that, is the home-made ramen from the Ichiraku noodle bar!"

Naruto grinned, and patted his stomach. Just thinking about his favourite food made him hungry.

"What I hate most is the three minute wait after I pour the boiling water into my instant ramen. Oh, and when people pick on other people for things beyond their control." Naruto added darkly, thinking of the farmers that had tormented both him and Hayashi.

A wave of pale yellow and pastel green washed over him, along with a serene sense of calm. It was from Hayashi. _"Thanks."_

"_No problem,_" she replied, before withdrawing again.

"I like to train- if you could call that a hobby. I love learning new jutsu, and tricks and stuff! Ooh! Pranks- too… but I need a new victim… heh…" Naruto scratched his head sheepishly, before his face turned serious. "And my goal… my goal is to one day be a better shinobi than the Lord Hokage! Then no one will be able to get away with mistreating people, and everyone would finally give me the respect that I deserve!"

Kakashi stared at Naruto for a moment, before smiling. _Well, hasn't he turned out to be interesting… Nothing less from an **Uzumaki**- I'd expect._

"Interesting… Next- you, in the red and pink." Kakashi said, waving his hand vaguely. He could almost predict what she was going to say…

"Me?" Sakura said, before smiling. "Okay… hmmm."

"_This will be interesting… NOT!" _Hayashi laughed in Naruto's head. Naruto frowned.

"_Don't be so rude to Sakura-chan!"_ Naruto chastised, rather upset that his new friend didn't like Sakura. They were both girls… couldn't they just get along?

"Right, then. My name is Haruno Sakura. My favourite thing… well, it's not a thing. It's a person. A boy. And his name is… uh, well…" Sakura blushed, stealing a glance over at Sasuke before continuing.

"But moving on to my dream…" Sakura couldn't even finish her sentence- her face grew so red. Kakashi silently gagged. It seemed that young girls didn't have all that much on their minds…

"I hate… Naruto!" Sakura said with determination, as Naruto slumped against the tree he was leaning against.

"_Awwww, man- that's just too funny!"_ Hayashi roared in Naruto's head, her laughing seeming to echo through his head. It was accompanied with splashes of bright colours that made Naruto's head spin.

"_Quiet. I haven't given up on Sakura-chan just yet, Hayashi,_" Naruto said, running a hand through his hair.

"Enough," Kakashi said, turning his eyes from Sakura to Sasuke. "And you?"

"Uchiha Sasuke," Sasuke said, staring at Kakashi a moment in silence before continuing. Kakashi didn't react to hearing Sasuke's last name, because he already knew who he was.

"There are plenty of things that I hate, but I don't see that it matters much, because there are very few things that I do like. One of the things that I hate most is _annoying, clingy, __**fan-girls.**_ The thing that I probably enjoy the most, is training to make myself stronger." Sasuke said, as if he was reciting something that he'd memorized.

"It seems rather pointless to talk about 'dreams', because to me, that's just a word. I don't have a dream. What I do have is _ambition_. Determination. I plan to restore my clan to its proper glory- and there is someone that I have sworn to _kill._" Sasuke said, finishing grimly.

Kakashi stared. _I thought as much. And I think I know who it is…_

"_What you wanna bet that it's me?"_ Hayashi giggled, looking at 'chicken-ass' from her vantage point in the tree that Naruto was sitting under.

Her chakra was carefully concealed- as was her aura, and any other signs of her presence. Kouro helped too- the trees that he controlled recognizing her presence and hiding her from prying eyes.

"_It's not you."_ Naruto replied, his thought serious.

"_How do you know?_" Hayashi replied, looking down at the mop of yellow hair beneath her before staring back at Sasuke again. His eyes were glittering with invisible words- like he was trying to say something but he couldn't speak about it. _He's got baby eyes-_ Hayashi realized, as she stared some more at the Uchiha heir. _Babies can't say anything- so they tell us what they want through their emotions, actions, and the looks in their eyes!_

Naruto didn't respond- Kakashi was talking again. Hayashi stared at Sasuke a moment longer, before returning her attention to Kakashi.

"All right then. Now, everyone knows everyone. I've got to submit a couple of report into Lord Hokage… so you four are free to do whatever you'd like for the rest of the day. We'll meet here early tomorrow for your first session of formal training."

Kakashi watched his three genin, waiting for what he said to click in their heads.

"Four?" Sakura asked, a little confused. "Kakashi-sensei, there are only three of us! It's three man cells- not four!"

"There's obviously someone else in the clearing with us," Sasuke pointed out, turning to look at Naruto with narrowed eyes. Seeing this, Sakura did the same, and Naruto flinched at the glares he was receiving.

"Well?" Kakashi asked, pulling three papers out of his pouch. "Aren't you going to come down and introduce yourself?" Kakashi asked, dragging his eye from the papers in his hand, and up to the tree where Hayashi was hiding.

Hayashi flinched as their eyes met, and cursed herself for not being more careful. He was a jounin, after all. He was Kakashi of the Sharingan- The Mirror Ninja!

Berating herself some more, she twisted her arms into the cloak, to finger her sai that were suspended at the small of her back. Just in case.

"_Is he talking about you?_" Naruto asked, looking up into the tree where Hayashi was. He couldn't see anything there… how could Kakashi?

"_Yeah. Apparently I didn't conceal myself well enough- I forgot that I was dealing with a jounin."_ Hayashi replied, feeling a small wave of comfort from Naruto. It was unintentional.

"_Are you coming out?"_ he asked.

"_I have to. He's seen me."_ She said, jumping out from her cover, landing on the ground in front of Naruto with a silent thud.

Sakura gasped, and Sasuke winced as they saw who had jumped down from the tree. It was the same mysterious figure from before- who had pinned Sasuke.

Kakashi stared at the young girl in the cloak, wondering on how he should approach the situation. He knew that she was wanted by many of the townspeople, and was considered a minor criminal. However, that wasn't what interested the Hokage- it was the mysterious powers that she seemed to possess… being to able to up and disappear out of nowhere… and her uncanny ability to effortlessly control the elements.

They code named her… _The Forest Child!_

"What are you doing here?" Kakashi questioned, resting his hand on his kunai holster to make sure his intentions were clear.

"And don't you already know, Hatake Kakashi?" Hayashi questioned, lowering her hood from her face, freeing her knee length brown hair. A wind swept through the clearing, and Kakashi heard the distinct cry of a hawk. Looking to the sky, he spotted the black spot of a bird… but he wasn't sure if it was the Hokage's, or a random creature.

"How long have you been here?" Kakashi asked, looking for signs of her hands. They remained hidden At this point, she could do anything.

"Just a little longer than you have…" Hayashi grinned. Kakashi feigned ignorance. _She knew that I was here earlier? What she did… it wasn't a show for me, was it?_ Hayashi thanked Kaze for warning her on the wind.

Naruto clambered up from his seat on the ground, and reached out to place a hand on Hayashi's shoulder. Sasuke unintentionally winced again, but was surprised when she did nothing.

"Naruto," she warned, sending him a sharp look over her shoulder.

"_I hope you know what you're doing,"_ he warned in her head, removing his hand. He still didn't know her true capabilities, or his new sensei's.

"Relax," she said aloud, smiling at him for the briefest of instants. Turning again, she moved toward Kakashi, taking slow, deliberate steps.

When she was within five feet from Kakashi, she moved her arms, drawing her sai with her. Kakashi's visible eye widened and he considered activating his eye. He knew little to nothing about her… which included her fighting abilities, and any other special abilities that she had.

"I'm not here for a fight- as I'm sure you hadn't planned on one. Right?" Hayashi smiled, looking at Kakashi. He instantly noticed that her smile didn't reach her eyes.

"The thing that holds me here is my honor, and an unbreakable bond." She continued, speaking low enough so that only Kakashi could hear her. "I'm not looking for anything to take from you people… no one to kill… just a friend that I'm helping. Now why don't you go report that to your Hokage?"

Kakashi was surprised at the boldness that the young girl showed… because she obviously knew who she was dealing with. He watched as she put her sai somewhere into the depth of her cloak, and turned to walk away.

"Oh," she paused, looking over her shoulder. "I wouldn't recommend trying to find me. Because I won't be found again unless I want to be- my friends are watching." A hawk cried from high above again, though Kakashi could no longer see a bird in the sky. Tossing the three papers to his silent students, he looked back towards the mysterious girl with green in her hair.

Maybe she had an animal affinity, like the Inuzuka's? Kakashi merely nodded in response, and disappeared with a swirl of leaves. He certainly had a lot to tell the Hokage… it was going to be an interesting report indeed.

**To Be Continued…**

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**A/N: **And that's the chapter, folks! What did you think? Please let me know! My sanity hangs in the balance... because I love this story, but I don't know whether or not I should continue writing and posting.

Oh! And some news.

I think that I'm going to let your, the reader... vote on the pairings. I don't know what I want to do in that area... or if I want to do it at all. A friend of mine loves the pairing Sasuke/Naruto, and this story. She wants me to make it a yaoi pairing, okay?

But I've only ever read it... never written it. Yaoi, I mean.

So, I want your opinion!

Should this be a Sasuke/Naruto, or just basic guy/girl pairings? And if it's going to swing the classic way... what should those pairings be? I'm anxious to get some input, readers... please don't let me down!!

3 reviews, please. The next chapter is already written!!

**ancient-relic**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Here's the next chapter... thanks for all the reviews!!

By the way, it's not going to be yaoi. I just couldn't do it! And, you don't want it...

But the other pairings are still in the air. A vote, perhaps? So I can get an idea of what I want to do... but read on!

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**Disclaimer:** I don't own. Period.

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**The Forest Child**

**Chapter Four: A Past Unveiled**

**By ancient-relic**

Sasuke tucked his paper away into his pouch before turning his full attention on the girl as she walked towards Naruto. Embarrassment flashed across his face as he realized that he'd been beaten by a girl- but he was much more curious to let something so trivial as embarrassment stop him.

Her green bangs framed her face in an almost heart shape, curling slightly at the ends. Her green eyes stood out on her pale face, only accentuated by her two tone hair.

She had heavy eyelashes, thin eyebrows, and a sharp structure to her face… something that seemed almost foreign. Just who was she? Sasuke stared openly as she started talking with Naruto, laughing about something that he couldn't hear.

All it took was a brief glance from her to send his blood boiling. It was rather frustrating… all she had to do was look at him the wrong way, and it pushed his buttons.

Marching over to where she stood with Naruto, Sasuke immediately went on the offensive.

"What did you say to Kakashi-sensei?" he demanded, glaring at the girl.

She turned to him then, her hands on her hips. "Wouldn't you like to know!" she shot back, glaring at him.

"Yes, I would!" Sasuke retorted, but froze as soon as the words had left his mouth. The way that he'd said it… it was so _childish!_

Hayashi stared at Sasuke, with a wide-eyed, blank look on her face. Beside her, Naruto's face matched almost perfectly- though his mouth looked like it was about to fall apart.

Hayashi turned to look at Naruto, her eyes wide. Seeing her move from the corner of his eye, Naruto did the same.

Almost in perfect synch, Hayashi and Naruto burst out laughing, clutching their stomachs. It was in the next three seconds that Sasuke realized that he hated that girl more than anyone else in the world.

Grasping Naruto, Hayashi laughed so hard that her stomach hurt- she knew that her face was red, because Naruto's was already pink. _Imagine- the stoic Uchiha heir actually acting his age?_

Sasuke growled low in frustration, and moved a hand to his shuriken pouch at his right leg. _Bitch. _However, his hand never got there, as Hayashi's head snapped up, and she looked at him with wide eyes, all signs of laughter gone.

Naruto, still oblivious, was now rolling on the ground, tears streaming from his eyes. He was paying no attention, to anything.

"What did you say?" Hayashi said, stressing every word in a low voice. Walking in a steady gait towards Sasuke, Hayashi glared furiously at him, her stare insistent and unblinking.

Sasuke stared right back at her, her green eyes trapping him. He couldn't move his body- his mind wasn't going anywhere… he was only aware of two things… the roar of his heart pounding in his ears, and the sudden, startling ferocity of the girl's green eyes.

Almost like the pupil was dilating, her eyes changed- slitting like a cat's, with a greenish-yellow iris. _What in the hell-?_

Sasuke cursed, still finding that he couldn't tear himself away from her eyes. A strange wind blew through the clearing again, and a sharper cry from a eagle reached everyone's eyes.

As soon as the sound cut through the clearing, Hayashi blinked and hesitated, taking a step backwards and away from Sasuke. _Her eyes are back to normal, now…_ Sasuke noted, and let his hand fall limply against his side.

Naruto had stopped laughing, and his was sitting rigidly, staring at Hayashi's back. He could see the bright waves of red, purple, blue, and grays that were rolling off her form, and flashing through his head in a dizzying and frightening pattern.

"Hayashi- stop it, please!" Naruto cried, clutching his head with his hands. The discomfort and fear that was pouring through his head was pounding… pulsing through him at a furious pace and Hayashi's tangled emotions kept a completely different pace of their own. As varying waved pounded against his mind like waves on the beach, he heard the far off crying of an infant, and he promptly blacked out.

-o- -o- **Dreamscape** -o- -o-

_Cold. Naruto was cold- it felt like there was a harsh wind blowing across his skin- and he wasn't dressed for the weather. However, he couldn't see anything, because his eyes were closed. Trying to open them, he failed. Instead, he lay there in the biting wind, until he felt something warm and wet wrap around his middle, and he was lifted off the ground and carried away._

_He was put down onto the ground again a while later, though this time, the wind and the cold was gone. Now, it was soft and warm and hard all at the same time- though he was so comfortable, it didn't matter._

_Naruto felt a strange warmth encompass his form, followed by a strange, wet, roughness that moved across his skin in a soothing, rhythmic pattern._

_His sharp cries pierced the air, and soon, a soft rumbling vibration circled him in another layer of comfort, and he fell silent. However, with a startling conclusion, Naruto realized that it wasn't really __**him **__that was making the noise… that was lying there with that rumbling comfort surrounding him._

_But if it wasn't him… than what was it? Suddenly, his eyes opened, and he looked up just as a rough pink thing wiped across his face, spreading the warmth there, too. _

_Of course, he knew now that it wasn't his face… and he wasn't actually __**feeling**__ the wetness… he just __**knew.**__ That it was rough, and wet, and nice._

_Bright amber eyes stared back at him, with big round pupils. Then, as if focusing on something, they dilated, sharpening to slits that Naruto immediately connected to some kind of cat. The fur was striped in an orange and black pattern… and Naruto recognized that, too. A tiger._

_A giggle that came from what was and wasn't his mouth reached his ears, and he saw two pudgy hands that were and weren't his own reach up to grasp at the feline's whiskers, and pull them with a short, baby laugh._

_Almost adoringly, the big cat stared back down, the appreciative rumble increasing. Naruto felt as he rolled himself over, only to have his path stopped by another body. However, instead of it being another tiger, as he had expected, he was confronted with a shaggy blue-gray wall of fur, much rougher and coarser than the soft orange of the tiger._

_A tail swished, catching his attention, and he turned from the gray mountain, and in the direction that the tail was poking him from. Twisting his head, he almost lost his balance at he stared right back into the big brown eyes that stared soulfully at him._

_Another baby sound exited his mouth, as he grabbed the tail and pulled it. The creature pulled it back- but Naruto's grip must have been firmer than he expected, because he felt himself get pulled up with it._

_Hanging who knew how far off of the ground, Naruto found himself staring again into a different set of eyes- a piercing goldenrod that was very much fierce- yet gentle at the same time. They belonged to the figure of a eagle… though Naruto couldn't place what species. He wasn't an animal expert… but the cruelly hooked beak was enough to tell him that it was one of the more powerful predators._

"_Gal," he heard himself say, before a voice- seemingly sharp and young reached his baby ears. He himself knew the word, though he knew that his baby self did not recognize it._

"_No, not Gal. Kaze," The voice corrected. _

"_Zay!" he heard himself chirp, chortling in delight._

"_Kaji," the voice said, as Naruto found himself face to with the large tiger. Feeling himself get set down on the giant creature's nose, Naruto watched as his little fingers buried himself in the soft fur on the side of its muzzle._

"_Jii!" he cried, leaning his face into the fur, rubbing his head back and forth._

_A slick rope wrapped around his middle, and he found himself face to face with a snake._

"_Baf!" he garbled, reaching out a hand for the glittering red eyes that captivated his small mind._

"_Kuro." Came a female voice. Naruto felt himself freeze, as he realized that the voice was actually coming from the black and purple snake. Then, his little arms were moving again, patting the soft, seemingly slimy skin on the snake in a rhythmic pounding._

"_Ro! Ro-ro! Ro-ro-ro-ro-ro ra Ro!" he listened to himself chant, patting happily on the snake's head, laughing as the forked tongue got him in the nose._

_He was passed on from animal to animal, and by the time he was done, he was securely tired out, and resting with the big tiger again._

_Whether the baby he was knew the connections between the names and animals, he knew that he did._

_Kaji, 'Jii' the tiger, was the biggest- and very distinctly male, as Naruto and the baby discovered whilst clambering over the large furry form._

_Then, the blue-grey she wolf, Koori- though to the baby, she was 'Wee'. She was the second biggest- and most gentle, Naruto found._

_There was the black and purple serpent, Kuro- who was fondly named 'Ro'. Naruto knew that the snake didn't take to being tugged on too much- and she flicked the baby on the nose with the tip of her tail every time something happened that she didn't like._

_The eagle was Kaze, but the first syllable was dropped, until only 'Zay' was left. His sharp eyes followed the baby everywhere, and every time his attention moved to the bird, his sharp golden eyes were trained on his._

_Then, last but not least, was the monkey. Naruto didn't know what kind of monkey it was- he just knew it wasn't the kind that liked to hang around in the hot springs. Kouro was much more agile than any other monkey he had ever seen- and aside from his size, the length of his tail was rather astonishing. It stretched out behind him and coiled like a rope on the ground, and his baby self had taken to tugging on 'Kuu's' tail._

_Naruto pondered all of the new things that he saw in his 'baby' form, wondering just what he was actually experiencing. Darkness encompassed him- his baby body was asleep. Though his eyes closed, he himself was still awake, and whether the baby could still hear what was going on, which he doubted, he could._

"_Are we going to keep her?" Naruto recognized the melodic voice of the she-wolf, Koori. So the little body he was in was a girl?_

"_Of course!" Kaze said, his response coming out sharp and quick. Naruto heard the scrape of his talons on the rock he was perched on and the rustle of feathers. "Sorry… it wasn't supposed to be so harsh."_

"_Kaze's right though, Koori," Kaji stated, and Naruto felt his paws tighten protectively around his assumed form. "There's no one else that's going to take care of her now… they think I've taken her away so I can eat her!"_

"_You're not going to, are you?" Kouro asked, hopping from foot to foot, his voice full of laughter and teasing. _

"_Of coursssse not, you idiot!" Kuro hissed, her voice slicing through the air like droplets of water over the skin of a leaf. _

_So… the animals were going to take care of this little baby? Sure, they could speak, and all… but that was no real way to have a human grow up. Talking animals? However, from what Naruto surmised, the little girl had been abandoned. Where else was she to go? Someone had left her for dead._

"_I was just joking. Sheesh!" Kouro defended, the smile gone from his voice. He looked down at the child nestled in Kaji's fur. "She is a darling little thing, isn't she?" he cooed, and Naruto felt his tail brush his nose. He sneezed, in the little cute way that all babies do._

"_You're right. But how are we going to do this? It has to be everyone's responsibility." Koori said, ever the diplomat._

"_I can watch her for the day- and I'll be able to bring food and stuff for her." Kaze said. "We can take shifts- and when she's old enough, we'll introduce her to our clans."_

"_Teach her to commune with nature- like no one else can!!" Kouro chimed in._

"_We'll raise her like the people who abandoned her- shinobi, right? They call themselves ninja." Kaji said, purring as the little form stirred beneath him._

"_Yessss. My father, Manda, isss currently working with one. They can be quite powerful, with the proper training." Kuro hissed in her raspy way, coiling around a rock._

"_Our little human will be the most powerful!!" Kaji purred, nosing into the little girl. "She can learn the elements from all of us! Your father's human will teach her the basic physical combat that the humans use." he dictated._

"_I will teach her grace." Koori said, putting a paw firmly down in front of Kaji._

"_I will teach her sssstealth." Kuro said, placing her tail beside Koori's._

"_I will teach her agility, and speed." Kaze said, stretching his talon to place it beside Kuro._

"_I will teach her flexibility." Kouro said, placing his little monkey paw beside Kaji, who was the last to add in._

"_And I will give her strength- teach her stamina!" Kaji growled, moving one of his massive paws to cover everyone's. "It's settled. Our little Hayashi Ikimono, the Forest Child."_

_As if hearing her name, little Hayashi stirred, and gurgled something in her sleep, before the vision was ripped away from Naruto, and he too fell into a strange darkness._

-o- -o- **Reality **-o- -o-

Hayashi stared blankly at Naruto as he crumpled to the ground, falling unconscious.

"What did you do to Naruto?!" Sakura shrieked, pointing her finger at Hayashi. "You're a devil child!"

Hayashi turned her blank stare to Sakura, who flinched under the simple ferocity of it.

"Oh, no. You've got it all wrong!" she chided, her voice layered with spite and hate. "It's not devil- it's _forest_. Want to know something? I'm the Forest Child. The powers of nature bow to me." Hayashi said, sinking to her knees.

"You worthless humans left me to die in the forest- but no… I didn't die. The forest saved me. It gave me life. I protect it. I protect its people- the animals that descended from the mighty tailed beasts. I am the forest protector!" Hayashi said, grasping her head and laughing cynically.

"And in turn, the forest grants me its power! Don't you ever forget that! I'm the _Forest Child!!_" She cried manically, tears falling freely from the corners of her eyes.

Sasuke watched the strange girl break down on the ground, her hands gripping painfully at her head. Something was not right about her, he immediately guessed, as she babbled something about tigers and eagles.

"Sakura, go to Hokage tower. Get Kakashi-sensei. Tell him what's going on, and make sure he knows that Naruto's collapsed. Bring back help!" he commanded, pointing back towards town.

Sakura nodded briefly, before turning away and dashing off. Sasuke turned back to the girl, and took a hesitant step towards her. "Umm…" Sasuke stopped. What was her name?

Naruto mumbled it then. "It was Hayashi all along…"

Right. Hayashi.

"Hayashi? Can you hear me? It's Sasuke." He said, creeping towards the stricken girl.

"Of course I can hear you, chicken-ass." Hayashi mumbled, prying herself off the ground, before her legs buckled, and she collapsed to the ground again.

"What the hell is going on? You know- I never said anything." Sasuke said, standing with his arms folded as she rose the second time.

"You did, whether you realized it or not." Hayashi mumbled, fixing her mussed hair, and adjusting her cloak.

"I growled." Sasuke said, watching her reaction.

"Yeah," Hayashi said, looking at him strangely.

"That's not saying anything!" Sasuke exploded. No one was here to see him- just the weird girl in green. "It's a noise!"

"It's not a _human_ noise." Hayashi stated, going over to Naruto, who had curled himself into the fetal position. Sasuke followed. "Doesn't mean that someone else can't understand it."

Sasuke stared at the girl strangely for a minute. _She interpreted a __**growl**_"What happened to him?" he asked, changing the subject.

"He's experiencing some memory of mine, I'd assume." Hayashi stated, placing her left hand atop Naruto's forehead. He calmed instantly- his body slumped, and he let out a great breath of air.

"How's that possible?" Sasuke asked, clearly curious- though he wouldn't admit that out loud.

"A bond," Hayashi said, her tone easily telling Sasuke that she was going to say no more about it.

Straightening up, she looked Sasuke in the eye. "I need your cooperation." She stated suddenly, her demeanor hardening before softening impeccably.

"Why? What? With what?" Sasuke asked, clearly baffled.

"I need some fire. I can usually materialize it myself- but I'm too weak right now." She said, moving into the middle of the clearing. "I know you're an Uchiha. I know you're the last one, too. I also know about your brother, and where he is right now."

Sasuke stared, eyes widening. Who was this girl? How did she know about Itachi? "Where is he?!" he demanded, his hands balling into fists at his sides.

"Listen. I need this from you- and I need you to promise not to say a word about me to anyone. This- and anything else that I tell you in the future, must be kept between you and I, and maybe Naruto. Strictly. Promise? If you do, I'll help you find your brother… and maybe I'll teach you something on the way there." Hayashi said, turning to him.

"…" Sasuke contemplated this silently for a moment, staring at the girl he had just met. She was powerful enough to put Kakashi, his new jounin sensei, at unease- and she had pinned him almost effortlessly… there was certainly more to her than met the eye.

And what about all that stuff that she had shouted earlier about forests and crap? Hayashi… her name, meant forest.

"Okay," he said, turning to face her with determination. "I will."

"If I find out that anything has slipped out of that mouth of yours, chicken-ass…" Hayashi stated threateningly, pointing at him.

"An Uchiha always keeps his word." Sasuke stated. _Except for my brother…_

"Except for your brother…" Hayashi muttered, her eyes glazing as she stared into the distance for a moment, before she turned her fierce glare onto Sasuke again.

"How did you know-" Sasuke started- but he was cut off by Hayashi's hand.

"Later, maybe. Now, throw your strongest fire jutsu at me," She ordered, pointing at herself.

"What? Do you have a death wish?" Sasuke demanded. "You'll burn to death!!"

"Hah. You'd be surprised, little Uchiha. Lesson 1 - trust what I say. Take it to heart- and store it in your head, because you don't ever want to be forgetting one of my lessons." Hayashi said seriously, taking her cloak off, and throwing it to the side.

Sasuke caught his first glimpse of what she was wearing- dulcet tones of browns and green, in a style that was similar to Sakura's and Ino's outfits put together.

"Come on!" she said, impatient. "Naruto needs attention- and I need some help!!"

"Fine, fine." Sasuke said, flipping through the familiar hand signs that his father had drilled into his head.

_**Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!**_

Sasuke inhaled deeply, and exhaled all at once, sending a huge ball of flame hurtling at Hayashi. He watched, intrigued, as she adopted something that he recognized as a Jyuken stance. But how could she know that?

Almost like she was dancing, she cupped her hands, and she seemed to cradle the fire, molding it and bending it with her movements, until it flowed about her like water, in swirls and streams.

Then, fisting her hand, she simultaneously stomped her foot, and punched the air, sending the fire shooting into the sky, where it fizzled out like a firework.

"How did you do that? What does it accomplish? Is that what you're going to teach me? Who did that call?" Sasuke was exploding with questions- and did his best to rein most of them in. Those ones got away from him.

"Wow. Questions from the angsty, brooding Uchiha- chicken-ass?" Hayashi teased, moving back to where Naruto was still lying unconscious on the ground. He was sweating- Sasuke noticed, and his eyes were moving rapidly beneath his eyelids.

Sasuke glared instead of saying something that he might regret. Whatever she did with the fire… he knew that he wanted to learn it.

"I'm sure you'll get your answers in due time, you know. Lesson 2 – observe _everything_. Memorize- assess with your eyes. Almost nothing is as it seems. Look for the hidden meanings within meanings. Beneath the beneath." Hayashi said, wiping at Naruto's feverish face with her cloak.

Before Sasuke had a chance to respond- an earth shaking roar shook the trees, and he stumbled. "What in the hell-?"

Looking towards the trees, Hayashi smiled. "Fast," she muttered. "He must have been watching."

Sasuke followed her eyes, to see a huge shape moving beneath the cover of the trees. Turning to Hayashi, he noticed with growing alarm that she was sitting calmly, with Naruto's head resting in her lap. "What did you summon?"

Hayashi ignored him, watching as Kaji broke through the tree line, loping towards her at a steady pace. The grass where he walked sizzled in his wake, burning and dying with every step.

"Holy shit!!" Sasuke cursed, taking a step away from Hayashi and the approaching tiger. "It's massive!"

The thing was almost as big as a wagon- and he could just see the muscles rippling with every step that it took. Flames licked around its feet, and its ferocious amber eyes were focused on his own.

"_It was his fire- not yours._" The cat stated, sitting on it's haunches in front of Hayashi, with a reverberating _thud._

"Yeah… I know." Hayashi said, looking guiltily at the ground, before looking to the head of blond hair in her lap.

"_He made the connection!_" the tiger accused, sniffing at Naruto, making his hair move with the force of his snuffling.

"Yeah…" Hayashi scratched her head sheepishly.

"_Because you let your emotions out of control… he breeched your mind… but __**accidentally?!**__"_

"He caught on to the connection really quickly- he's an even faster learner than I am!" Hayashi added in, looking at Sasuke, who had fallen to the ground and not moved since.

"_And the other boy?_" the tiger asked, turning its massive head to Sasuke. Rising delicately from its haunches, it took deliberate steps towards the Uchiha, who scrambled backwards.

"Don't move, Sasuke!" Hayashi called.

Sasuke froze- stock still in his crawling position. _Lesson 1 – trust what I say._ He almost looked over that she actually used his name- but the tiger was so close that he could feel his breath washing over him- so it didn't really matter.

_I'm not gonna die, I'm not gonna die, I'mnotgonnadieIamnotgonnadie!_ Sasuke chanted, his eyes wide as the tiger lowered his massive head down to his, and took a great inhale in.

Jesus Christ- the thing's head must weigh as much as he did himself!! Seemingly satisfied, the tiger turned tail and went back to Hayashi.

"_I need to get back- Koori's waiting with some of the other delegates. What do you need me for?"_

"Kaji- please carry us home?" Hayashi asked. "He's got a fever- and I used the last of my power to free him from my mind."

"_What about the Uchiha brat?"_

"Hey, chicken-ass!" Hayashi called, looking over her shoulder to Sasuke, who was picking himself off the ground in distaste.

"What?"

"Wanna come for a ride? We're taking the scenic route home." Hayashi laughed, pointing at the tiger, which had crouched low so she could climb atop his back.

"… fine," Sasuke sighed, scribbling a brief note to Sakura on a scrap of paper, pinning it to a tree some feet away with a kunai before walking over to Hayashi with his hands on his pockets.

Some minutes of jostling and discomfort later, Hayashi, Sasuke, and an unconscious Naruto were straddled across the Kaji's broad back. Hayashi's arms were holding Naruto to her chest, and Sasuke was gripping Hayashi tightly around her waist in discomfort.

"Relax. Noting bad is gonna happen," Hayashi consoled Sasuke, who blushed the faintest pink and eased up noticeably on her waist. _I HATE her!! _"'Kay, Kaji. We're ready!"

"_Hold tight, little ones…"_ he rumbled, before taking off at a loping pace, before brushing through the trees and into the depth of the forest.

Sasuke watched in awe, as all the foliage seemed to curl away from the giant tiger as he sped through the trees, skirting logs, branches, and other obstacles. Soon they were climbing a mountain, following a twisting, invisible path through the foliage.

As they burst through the trees, Sasuke realized that they were now atop the Hokage monument. _That was incredible!_ Sasuke thought, hearing his heart pound in his ears.

In a flash, (and a jump) they were on the balcony of an apartment, and Hayashi had slipped off the tiger, Naruto in tow. Sasuke hastily followed, as the tiger bounded off without a word.

Pushing through the doorway, Sasuke walked into a pale green room- colored in pastel shades, with pine furniture. It wasn't much- but it was homey enough, he supposed.

"Oi! Wanna help me here, chicken-ass?" Hayashi asked, gesturing to the dead weight that was Naruto.

Sasuke walked over, and slung one of Naruto's arms over his shoulder, and Hayashi did the same on the other side. Together, they maneuvered him down the hall, and into his yellow room.

Plopping him onto the bed, Hayashi slumped in relief. "Glad that's done…"

Sasuke nodded, and stood by the door uncomfortably. Now what was he supposed to do? Hayashi either guessed what was on his mind, or she was very good at reading people.

"Hungry?" she gestured for him to follow her as she lead the way to the kitchen, and Sasuke silently followed. Sitting down at the table, Hayashi turned her back to him, shaping some riceballs out of rice left over from Naruto's hasty breakfast.

"Well, I'm sure you've got some questions. And provided that you keep your silence, I'm sure that I can at least answer some of them." Hayashi said suddenly, startling Sasuke.

Lifting his head off his hands where he'd just propped it up, he looked at Hayashi's back for a moment before responding. "Of course," he agreed.

"But I get to choose what I answer… and don't even expect to get a _straight_ answer, if you get one. Here," she said, pushing a plate of riceballs and a glass of water over to him.

"Thanks." He replied, dipping his head as he nibbled one of the snacks. It certainly wasn't the best thing that he'd ever tasted… not even near restaurant quality. But it was better than his cooking… that was for sure.

"…" Hayashi stared at him, her head resting on his hands as he had done moments prior. She was assessing him, he realized, as he felt her eyes without needing to look up.

"Your full name." Sasuke said, looking up at her.

"Hayashi Ikimono."

_Forest Animal?_ _What the hell kind of name is that?_ Sasuke thought- but quickly pushed the thought away. There were more important things at hand.

"Age?"

"Fourteen, I think."

"How do you not know how old you are?"

"Oh… well, it's a long story." Hayashi grinned, feeling a little uneasy at the thought of spewing anything close to her life's story. But in a weird, twisted way- she felt obliged to tell him. After all, it was possible that she knew more about his own family than he did.

"We've got time," Sasuke smirked right back, finishing his snacks as Hayashi moved to go to the couches. Sasuke put the dishes into the sink before following.

Sitting down on the couches, Sasuke could have sworn that he sunk a foot and a half before he was sitting comfortably on the cushions- or rather… _in _them. He looked up just in time to get a face full of the blanket that Hayashi threw at him.

"Just how long do you think I'm going to be here?" Sasuke asked, slightly amused.

"A while," Hayashi responded seriously. "And by the time my story is done- you'll be too tired to do much more than sleep. It'll be too late to go back to the Uchiha District, anyhow." She added, the look in her eyes telling him what she would not say. He was too prideful to hear and admit to it anyhow…

_And it's more fun with friends- than being alone._

* * *

Sakura frantically led Kakashi, the Hokage, and a small ANBU squadron to the clearing that she had vacated earlier. "Hurry!" 

Kakashi came to a stop right behind his pink-haired student as she screeched, "SASUKE-KUN, WHERE ARE YOU?! I BROUGHT THE HOKAGE AND KAKASHI-SENSEI!!!"

Kakashi took one look around the clearing, and knew that they had left a while ago. "Look there, Sakura. Sasuke left you a note, I'd assume." Kakashi said, pointing to the tree where Sasuke had indeed pinned a note for Sakura. As Sakura dashed off to find where Sasuke had gone, Kakashi turned to the ANBU platoon that he'd brought with him.

"Search the clearing for anything unusual- and the tree line. We're looking for anything… absolutely _anything_. Pay close attention to the trees, and other plant life. She's an elemental, don't forget." Kakashi ordered, sending ninja this way and that before turning to the Sandaime Hokage, who stood silently behind him.

"She was here, then?" he asked, looking at Kakashi with a twinkle in his eye.

"Yes. She was here for even longer than I was- and I didn't notice her until she made her presence known." Kakashi admitted, pointing to the tree where he had hidden, and then to the one that she had hidden in.

"Isn't it funny," the Hokage started, walking over to an impression in the grass, where Naruto had rolled, laughing. "How someone so much younger than us is able to so carefully outwit us? I'm the leader of a nation." He said, looking at the impressions in the grass.

Kakashi stood beside him, watching silently. "Check here for chakra residue," the Hokage said, and turned to Kakashi. "And examine the ground around thoroughly. The manhunt begins now. I want that girl brought in alive, for questioning."

Kakashi's visible eye widened in shock. When had it come to this? A manhunt?

"The citizens are to be kept unawares- but every ninja who has ever passed the Genin exam in Konohagakure is to know this girls face. Understand?" he asked, the serious look on his face accentuated by the shadows that his hat cast.

"Of course," Kakashi acquiesced. "But might I ask a question?"

"You may- but I might not answer it."

"What has happened to put this girl so high in your eyes? You said yourself that she was not a direct threat to Konoha." Kakashi said, watching the Hokage for a reaction.

"Ah, yes. I did, didn't I?" the Hokage smiled at the sun, before turning to look Kakashi in the eye. A serious expression crossed his face then as he continued. "I suppose you have the right to know…"

He mused silently, before gesturing to Kakashi to walk with him towards the edge of the clearing, and out of earshot.

"The tables have turned. You might not know- Jiriaya has returned for a visit; to publish another novel, and to tell me the happenings from around. He is a very reliable news source, you know."

Kakashi's eyes sparkled at the thought of another edition of Icha-Icha Paradise, but he sobered again at the Hokage's serious expression.

"It seems that the young girl has traveled to almost every ninja community- and made allies everywhere. That is problem number one. You can imagine- her having allies with our enemies- yet allowing her to roam free in our city."

"Problem number two- is that she was seen with unknown members of the Akatsuki."

Kakashi's eyes widened, as he began to piece things together. _So she did know who Sasuke was… is it possible that she also knows-?_

"Problem three is that she's had direct dealings with the Akatsuki- and thought to be in very high regard to the leader. Then last but not least, problem four… the most threatening of all."

Kakashi was thoroughly surprised now… the little girl was much more trouble than he'd ever predicted.

"Problem four- she remained under Orochimaru's tutelage for several years- and has since been seen frequenting his hideout. She is now a national threat- because once she's inside- it would be a simple matter for her to manipulate nature- as she has shown she has the ability to do- and to allow our enemies safe passage into the village." The Hokage finished, folding his hands into his sleeves.

"This, of course, must be kept secret- from everyone. No one is to know that you are privy to this information."

"And why is it that I have the right to know?" Kakashi asked, his mind whirling with unseen possibilities, and consequences of everything that the Hokage had just told him.

"It seems," the Hokage stressed, "that she now has a direct affiliation with two of your students."

"Naruto and Sasuke?" Kakashi asked, bewildered.

"Yes. I fear for the survival of the Uchiha clan- if she sways him in any direction…" the Sandaime said, turning to walk away. "And for the nine-tails, as well… Who knows what will happen to it, the seal, and Naruto? We are all, very much in danger."

Kakashi watched in silence as the Hokage walked away, before he turned back to the clearing- his thoughts rolling tumultuously through his head.

"Kakashi-sensei! Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura called, running towards him with a paper in his hand. "Sasuke-kun left us a note! Look at what it says!"

Kakashi took the scrap of paper from Sakura, and immediately recognized the scrawl. It was so similar to Itachi's- he noted. But pushing the thoughts of the banished Uchiha away, he looked to the note.

_I have left with Naruto and a friend. Everything is under control. _

_Will report in for first training mission- as assigned on the paper we received. No need to worry._

Kakashi mussed over the note before tossing it to one of the nearest ANBU that stood near. He wore a cat mask over his face, and his hair was concealed by a hood. "Go over this in a lab- for any DNA samples that do not belong to Uchiha Sasuke."

Merely nodding, the ANBU disappeared in a whirl of leaves.

"Thank you, Sakura. You can go home now- everything is under control." Kakashi said, patting her on the top of her pink head. "I'll see you bright and early on Monday, all right?" he smiled.

Sakura smiled back and began to walk away, but as soon as her back was turned, her smile turned to a frown. What did that note mean? What happened to Naruto, and the girl in green who called herself the Forest Child? And Sasuke? Where did he go? With these thoughts fresh in her mind, Sakura began a slow trek back to town- trying to put the clues together.

* * *

Resting on a tree well out of sight, the ANBU Black OP took off his cat mask, and freed his silver hair with a shake of his head. He then looked at the note again, re-adjusting his glasses so he could see properly in the shadowed light of the forest. 

"Orochimaru-sama will want to hear of Hayashi, I'm sure." He said to himself, before changing his course from the Hokage tower, to Otogakure.

**To Be Continued…**

* * *

**A/N:** Okay. Chappie, done!! 

As for pairings;

Sasuke/?

Hayashi/?

Naruto/?

Please think about it, and review!

I gotta run now.

**ancient-relic**

* * *

_**Edited/Reposted: **08/17/07_


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: **I'm really sorry that this took so long. I hope you can find it in yourselves to forgive me by the time you're done reading the story!! So, I won't waste any more time. ON WITH THE CHAPTER!

**

* * *

**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto, or any of the characters in the story, despite how much I'd like to.

* * *

**The Forest Child**

**Chapter Five: The Survival Exam**

**By ancient-relic**

Sasuke woke up with gentle sunlight streaming down on his face. He blinked groggily a few times, before pulling himself out of the cushions of the couch, popping his shoulders and cracking his back.

It took him a few more moments to realize that he was not in his own house, and he jumped to his feet, flinging away the blanket in distaste. Where was he? What had happened last night?

His panicking was cut short as Naruto shuffled into the room, rubbing his eyes. His penguin night-cap sat lop-sided on his head, and his pale pajamas were surprisingly green, not orange.

"S-S-S-Sasuke-teme?" What are you doing in my house?" Naruto yawned, sending Sasuke a sleepy, blue glare. Sasuke returned it with one of his own, which was noticeably more awake.

"He slept over last night." Hayashi answered for him, startling both boys, and making their heads turn in the direction of the kitchen hall. She was wearing a white yukata, with her little black shorts that she wore under her tall boots. Apparently, they stopped just where the boots began, and they showed off an expanse of light, muscled skin from the mid-thighs down to her ankles and green painted toes.

Naruto pouted. "Does that mean I have to share my breakfast with him?"

Sasuke's stomach rumbled.

Hayashi grinned. "What makes you think that I've got breakfast for either of you? Today is your survival training with Kakashi."

Sasuke's stomach rumbled again. He winced.

"Then what woke me up? Not just anything smells like salmon and bacon." Naruto replied, a smug grin set on his face.

"That was _my_ breakfast." Hayashi replied, shrugging her shoulders.

Naruto looked nervous. "So you're serious? No breakfast?" he cried, pouting again.

Hayashi just laughed, leaving Sasuke a little confused. His mind was focused on breakfast. Was there any food? Or not?

"You should learn how to cook, Naruto." Hayashi replied. "Then I wouldn't have to do it for you."

Naruto grinned. "So you did?"

"Always trust your nose when it comes to food, Naruto." She replied, stepping aside as Naruto rushed past her to the kitchen. Turning to Sasuke, she smiled, flipping her green bangs out of her face in a gesture of relief. "You'd better get to the table, Sasuke. Naruto will eat everything, if you're not careful."

Sasuke blinked a moment more, before rushing past a laughing Hayashi, and confronting Naruto with an angered, "DOBE! That's _my_ plate!"

Still laughing, Hayashi disappeared with burst of wind, landing softly on her bed with her head behind her arms and her legs crossed. She could hear the boys squabbling if she tried hard enough, but didn't pay much attention to it.

Today was the boy's survival test… she had no doubt that it was possible for either of the two boys that she had taken under her wing, but was unsure as to Kakashi's real intentions. She knew from Orochi-jii that Kakashi loved to be tricky, and that with his Sharingan, he easily deceived people, using their own tricks against them.

But what was he up to this time? Hayashi fingered a long piece of hair, curling it around her finger. She seriously needed a haircut. Looking down at the long strand of hair, she noticed gray strands amongst the brown.

Dashing to the mirror, Hayashi parted her bangs, and peered intently at the roots of her hair. Faintly; she could see in the dark light- that white strands, only about an inch, or so, were hidden beneath her green bangs.

Hayashi muttered a string of curses under her breath. She had been born with white hair, and she hated it. It made her feel like she was an old woman, and she had always used special herbs and dies to keep it her two favourite colours, green and brown. The green always stayed longer in her hair- strangely enough.

Regardless, she had to die her hair about twice a year, and she remembered that she was nearing the time when she liked to die her hair again. It took a day, (damn those herbs) but it was better than walking around with white hair.

_I see that my fate has come to this._ She sighed, reaching into a pouch she had left lying on the bureau. Inside, was a power that she could mix with water, to strip her hair of its current colour.

The die required a complete job before it was used, so she used it twice a year, before she re-dyed her hair. Of course, she wasn't going to be able to dye it again anytime soon… Orochi-jii had all the dyes and herbs, and she was currently not talking to him.

_Screw that. Silver hair will keep me unrecognizable. _She thought, and heading off with resolution towards the bathroom. _A new outfit would be good too- pinky knows what I look like._

Why did life have to be so difficult? Why couldn't people just leave her alone? All she wanted… wait. What was it that she wanted? _Right now, some silver hair and a new outfit._

Naruto came running down the hall, chomping the last salmon that she had cooked up earlier. Sasuke came fast behind him, protesting avidly. "That was so mine, dobe! It was on my plate!!"

"You didn't look like you were going to eat it." Naruto replied, swallowing and rubbing his stomach happily.

"My ass." Sasuke scoffed. "I was about to pick it up with my chopsticks!!"

"Boys," Hayashi separated them. "Calm down. What's done is done. Unless you want that fish back now, Sasuke," Hayashi grinned. "Then I suggest you leave it alone. To make up for what he's done, Naruto would like to invite you to our first training session."

"I would not!" Naruto yelled, surprised at what Hayashi suggested.

"Yes, you would." Hayashi replied sweetly, smiling at the blond.

"_You will. Sasuke will shortly be under my tutelage as well. There are things that I have to do- he needs my help. Surely, you understand, and can make such a sacrifice?"_ she questioned, glaring at the boy. Sasuke was watching, rather confused.

"_But Hayashi, Sasuke and I don't get along very well! He doesn't like me, and I don't like him. Besides- you promised me first!!"_ Naruto responded, pouting. Sasuke was only further confused. What on earth were they doing?

"_You're on the same team! Perhaps I'll teach you some interesting tag attacks. And I'll save you something special, all right? Something that I won't teach him. Everything will only work out in your favor if you make a friend of him now."_ Hayashi responded wisely.

Naruto huffed a moment, but his shoulders slumped, and he nodded. At least he'd get something that Sasuke-teme didn't! There was a plus side. He grinned at the dark-haired boy.

"Sasuke-teme, would you like to come to my first training session with Hayashi?"

Sasuke looked startled. Where had _that_ mood swing came from? And what was up with that staring contest that Naruto just had with Hayashi? He nodded, and gave a short formal bow. "Thank you."

Hayashi grinned, and Sasuke blushed a faint pink. "But you don't even get training if you don't pass Kakashi's test… which you might just be late to, by the way."

Naruto yelped, and disappeared down the hall to his room, slamming the door behind him. Sasuke was about to head out the door, but Hayashi caught him by the arm.

"Come to my room for a second, 'kay? There's something that I've been meaning to talk to you about." She said, turning on her heel, her long hair brushing Sasuke gently.

He followed wordlessly, and Hayashi led him out to the balcony, where they had entered Naruto's apartment the day before. Pulling herself up on the railing, Hayashi pulled herself to her feel, balancing precariously and gripping the bars carefully with her feet. Sasuke watched as she paced the bar a few times, before turning to look at him, her face deep in contemplation.

"I'm not sure whether or not I want to do this, and I don't know whether or not you want this, either. So, I'm going to let it be your decision." She said, looking down at him.

Sasuke was puzzled. "What are you talking about?"

"You know when Naruto randomly stares off into space?" she asked, looking at him with a straight face.

"Yeah," Sasuke responded slowly.

"We're actually talking to each other." Sasuke's mouth threatened to fall open. "Telepathically. It's an ability that I've had for as long as I can remember."

"I don't believe you." He threw at her, crossing his arms across his chest.

"That's what I'm leaving to you. Whether or not you want me to perform the same bond with you- the same as I have with Naruto. And, if you want it, with Naruto himself."

Sasuke stared at her with a brooding glare. Was this strange girl for real? Telepathy? He didn't know what to think. Telepathy was something that was only ever dreamed about- imagined. But what motive did she have to lie? What else could Naruto have been doing?

"Okay."

Hayashi grinned. "Which one do you want me to do?"

"Both." Sasuke replied, but he stopped to explain; lest he be misunderstood.

"Naruto's my teammate, right? It would be beneficial in the future."

Smiling, Hayashi jumped down from the railing, her knee cracking quietly. "All right. I'm going to need something sharp."

Sasuke quickly withdrew a kunai, and Hayashi disappeared into her room for a moment, returning with both Naruto, and a sharp silver sai. Turning to Naruto, she grinned. "You know how this works. I'm going to do Sasuke and I first, but I'll need you to catch me, and take me to the bed, after. I can do yours from there, I suppose."

Naruto nodded, and positioned himself behind Hayashi. Sasuke simply stood with his kunai in hand, unsure of what exactly he was supposed to be doing. Hayashi motioned him closer, and he did so, watching Naruto.

He was standing with his arms crossed. Hayashi must have pulled him right out of his room, because he was only half dressed, and his hair was wet from a shower. His tanned skin glistened with water, and his feet were bare on the cement of the balcony, though he appeared not to notice. He looked back to Hayashi, who was watching him with tight lips, which threatened to turn into a smile.

"You're right handed?" she questioned, holding her sai up in her right hand.

"Yes." Sasuke replied, his right hand gripping the kunai tighter.

"Good. You guys make this so easy…" she chuckled, and placed her left hand up, palm facing him. "Take your right hand, and put it up like this. Put the kunai in your left."

Sasuke did as he was told, but couldn't help but narrow his eyes. What exactly did this telepathic bond require a blade for? Hayashi quickly answered his question, slashing a shallow cut into her left palm.

"Do this to your right hand." Sasuke's eyes widened at the blood that was running down her arm, and shakily raised his own blade to his hand, doing as she did- though it was messier.

"Right. Now, this might sting a little." Hayashi said, clasping her bloodied hand with his. Muttering under her breath, Sasuke watched as her eyes glowed fierce neon green, her pupils slitting into diamonds.

A bright light encircled them, and Sasuke was forced down on one knee as he shielded his eyes from the glare. A burst of power flared from their clasped hands, and suddenly, Hayashi's hand was gone.

The spell completed, Hayashi slumped backwards. Naruto's arms obligingly caught her, and they cradled her gently, as they had days before when he had rescued her. She smiled, and focused her power, gathering more for the next bond. Looking at her hand, she grinned at the little blue Uchiwa fan that was sitting right below her thumb.

Sasuke looked up after the light died to see Naruto cradling Hayashi gently to his chest, her eyes closed in content. A pang of jealousy ripped through him, there and gone faster than a blink, leaving him wondering. _Not Hayashi…_

"Are you okay, little Uchiwa?" she laughed, opening her green-grey eyes, and staring at him. _NEVER Hayashi._

"Yes, thankyouverymuch." He replied curtly, walking inside, leaving Naruto and Hayashi to follow. What was it with this strange girl? First she made him blush, and then she pushed his buttons.

Naruto placed Hayashi on the bed, and she sat up, crossing her legs neatly. "You ready for another one, chicken-ass?"

"Don't call me that." He growled in reply, resisting the urge to use the bloody kunai in his hand.

"_Chicken-ass, chicken-ass, chicken-ass."_ A voice teased, and Sasuke's head snapped to the side.

"Who…?"

"It was Hayashi, Sasuke-teme." Naruto replied easily, resting his hands behind his head. "That's the mind-talking."

Sasuke mumbled a string of expletives under his breath, glaring at Hayashi, before at the ground.

"_I heard that,"_ she laughed.

"_Put a sock in it."_ He replied, grinning back. Hayashi looked rather surprised that he had caught on so fast, but she shrugged her shoulders, and beckoned both boys closer.

"Naruto, cut your hand, please. Sasuke, you too." She said, focusing her energy again.

Sasuke looked down to his hand, surprised to see that there was no more blood. There was no more cut, either. What was up with this girl? Doing as she asked, he noted with satisfaction that the next cut was smoother than the last.

Awkwardly, he clasped hands with Naruto, noting that Naruto's hand was bigger than his. Who'd have thought? _Not me…_ he grumbled, pushing the thought away. Why was he feeling so self-conscious?

"_Beats me…"_ Hayashi cut in, startling Sasuke.

"_Would you cut it out, already?"_ he replied, scathingly.

Hayashi ignored him._ "Naruto will not pick up on your thoughts as easily as I will- I am more experienced. At most, he might get some of your stronger emotions. However, if you want me to stay out, you should think about stopping this ridiculous broadcast of your thoughts. They're just asking to be read."_

"_And how do I go about doing that?"_ he questioned, mocking evident even in his mind-tone.

"_Think quieter."_ Hayashi replied, before Sasuke lost the feel of her mind brushing against his. Her eyes were glowing, and before he knew it, the flash had already dispersed, and on his hand, there were now two little symbols- a red spiral by the base of his index finger, and a little green character for 'animal' in a circle by the base of his thumb. Again, the blood was gone.

Hayashi slumped to her pillows, and smiled weakly at the boys. "I'll catch up with the two of you at the field. I need to recuperate."

"That's right!! We're almost late!!" Naruto cried, dashing away. Sasuke looked at Hayashi a moment longer, before following him quickly.

"Oi! Wait for me, dobe!!"

Hayashi just laughed.

* * *

Kakashi nodded to Kurenai, Asuma, and Gai. They were the last three jounin that he had to tell about the strange Forest Child… and now he was late to meeting his students. 

Disappearing and re-appearing at the meeting sight, he was surprised to see Sakura snoozing under a tree, peacefully. Sasuke and Naruto were nowhere to be seen.

Moving over to Sakura, he prodded her with his foot. She moaned, and rose from the ground with a sleepy, "Sasuke's here?"

"Eh… No." Kakashi replied, scratching his head.

Sakura frowned. Was he with that strange girl?

"I see."

"See what?" a loud voice said, making Sakura look behind Kakashi. There, stood Naruto, and Sasuke, looking a little disheveled, right behind him.

* * *

Hayashi wrapped her cloak tighter around her form. It seemed like everyone was staring… perhaps the Genjutsu she used was a little too much? A little too… _exotic_? 

She currently had long black hair, and striking gold eyes, with two lines running vertically down her face from her eyelids. Her skin was tanned, and she was a good six and a half feet tall, which, however unfortunately, barely matched her impressive bust size of… large.

A man in a cloth shop watched her with wide eyes as she approached, and Hayashi browsed the shop a moment, before finding what she was looking for.

It was a simple (short) black kimono, with green and yellow stitching. Several circles were stitched here and there, and there was a simple black band that could be used as an obi that came with it, four small pouches sewn in green and yellow right on it.

Grabbing a pair of black leggings, and a pair of black ankle boots, she headed to the counter, where the man was still watching, amazed. Plopping her choices onto the counter in front of him, his eyes moved from her chest to the kimono, and he quickly rung it up, as she counted out the proper amount of money- no change.

Without a word, she disappeared into the streets, making several stops before returning to the house. With her, she had her new black outfit, a new chest-plate of polished gold and silver (she paid a pretty price for the real deal,) and a black headband with side-guards for her face, which had been impromptu- she had been gazing at the Hokage monument.

Casting aside her Genjutsu, Hayashi shook her silver-white hair with a look of scorn. How she hated it… Wrapping the band about her head, she set about to slipping into the rest of her new clothes, before tucking her sai away, and hopping out the window. She had to check on Sasuke and Naruto…

* * *

"Orochimaru-sama!" a voice called, and the snake sannin's head popped up. He had been snoozing in the sun, however Kabuto's voice back in headquarters again was enough to wake him. It was either news of Konoha, or news of Hayashi. 

Kabuto entered the room, and dropped to his knee respectfully in front of Orochimaru and his throne of cushions. Pulling up the collar of his slipping kimono, Orochimaru sent a sharp look at his servant.

"What news do you bring, Kabuto?"

Kabuto stood, and pushed up his glasses. "News of Hayashi, Orochimaru-sama."

Orochimaru let a ghost of a grin slide across his face. "She is in Konoha?"

"Yes, and she is in direct contact wit both Naruto Uzumaki, and Sasuke Uchiha."

Orochimaru's grin could no longer be contained. As it spread wide across his face, Kabuto's own smirk appeared. "Tell her that I would like to see her. And please, send my apologies, lest she still be upset with me."

"As you wish." Kabuto lowered his hood, and replaced his cat mask, before disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

* * *

"Now that you have graced us with your presences," Kakashi intoned, looking pointedly at Sasuke and Naruto, "I shall tell you about this exam." 

"What do we really need to know? It's a survival exam, yes?" Naruto questioned, fiddling with the zipper on his navy jacket.

"Yes. But before we continue, you should know some very important information. Of the twenty-seven members of your graduating class, only nine of them will actually be graduating, and becoming actual genin."

Sakura gasped, and Naruto's jaw dropped. Sasuke made a non-commital grunt, though Naruto was certain that he was rather surprised as well.

"_Do you suppose he's serious?" _Naruto's voice almost surprised Sasuke, but he hid it well, and felt the link that Naruto had made. Fairly certain that he could replicate it, he replied.

"_No. I think he's bluffing. I do believe that this is just something to scare us off. This is a __**test**__, remember?"_

Naruto was silent for a moment longer, before he gave a barely noticeable nod of his head. Sasuke regarded him calmly, and felt Naruto drop the link. Kakashi was talking again.

"Those who do not pass will be sent back for more training. This test has a 66 failure rate." Kakashi's grim face turned to a smile.

"Now," the students watched as he placed a little timer on one of the stumps. "I've set this alarm to go off at noon."

Naruto took a page out of Sasuke's book, and regarded Kakashi with silent anger. After all his hard work, there was no way that he was going back to the academy!! However, if Sasuke was in fact right, then there wasn't too much that he needed to be worried about.

"Your challenge is to get these two small bells from me before the alarm rings. Those who get the bells pass, and get lunch. Those who don't, get tied to the stump, and get nothing to eat. I'll eat their lunch in front of them. This all ensure that one of you will be heading back to the academy."

Sasuke looked to Naruto, who looked rather tense. Sharing a brief, worried look with the blond, he turned his attention back to Kakashi, and over Sakura, who fumed at being ignored.

Naruto looked down to his stomach, and rubbed it happily. He was glad Hayashi had made him breakfast. His ears picked out the sound of Sakura's stomach rumbling, and he grimaced. Poor Sakura… she always followed the rules. For once in his life, he was glad that he had actually gone against orders.

"If you'd like, you can attack with kunai and shuriken. Attack to kill, or else you won't even stand a chance."

"Who are you kidding?" Naruto laughed. "There's no way that you'll be able to withstand an attack aiming to kill from us!"

Kakashi ignored him. "On my count. Ignore the dunce. 3… 2…"

Sasuke was surprised to feel the rabid emotions that were pouring through his mind link with Naruto, and watched as Naruto lowered his head in shame. Then, before he had a chance to tell Naruto to calm down, Naruto had flipped out a kunai and rushed at Kakashi. Then, before anyone could even blink, Kakashi had twisted Naruto's arm around, and the kunai was pointing at the back of Naruto's own neck.

Sakura gasped. "Oh my…"

"Not so fast." Kakashi said, coldly. "I didn't say go."

_So this is an elite shinobi…_ Sasuke mused, looking at the complete look of rapture on Sakura's face. _That's incredible._

"But at least you struck to kill. Does that mean you're starting to respect me? I think I might just like you all yet."

Naruto grinned, despite the fact that Kakashi still held him immobile. "And now… ready, steady… GO!"

Kakashi watched as all three disappeared, and turned his attention to searching for any other chakra signatures in the area. Where was the forest child?

Sasuke turned to Naruto, who had his arms folded, staring down through the leaves at Kakashi, who was simply standing in the middle of the clearing, waiting and watching for an attack.

"Hallo, guys!" came a voice from above, catching both Sasuke and Naruto by surprise.

Hayashi was standing upside down from a branch above them. She was covered in her black cloak, but it curled away from her feet slightly, with gravity. Both boys got a good glimpse of long, black covered legs, topped in slim little boots. She had changed her clothes. There was a head band pulling her hair from her face, and there were guards on the sides of her cheeks, attached to the head band.

Walking comfortably down the trunk, she came to a stop on their branch, and grinned. "Sorry I took so long. Care to fill me in?"

* * *

Kakashi frowned. He was pleased that all of his students were well hidden, but what bothered him the most that the only of the three that he could find was Sakura. Where was Naruto? 

Though he wouldn't admit it out loud, he figured that Naruto would be worse at hiding than Sakura. Sasuke was the best in his year, so Kakashi wasn't worried about picking up his signature. Not for the moment, anyhow. But if he couldn't sense Naruto at all… did that mean that he had actually misjudged him? Or had the forest child come to his aid?

Sakura shifted behind him, and Kakashi stilled. She didn't reveal herself.

_That's okay._ He mused with a grin._ I can wait. They've only got until noon, anyhow._

* * *

"What do you propose?" Sasuke asked, sending a glare at Hayashi. She was standing upside down on their branch, watching Kakashi. 

"Check this out." Hayashi said, pointing at their sensei through the foliage.

Kakashi had pulled out a bright orange book, and was reading it quite calmly, despite the warnings about explicit content on the back cover.

Naruto snorted, finding it in himself to keep rather quiet, and Sasuke grimaced. Was his teacher reading _porn?_

Possibly.

…

Probably.

Hayashi snorted, and walked around the tree branch. Pulling a kunai out from somewhere in her cloak, she grinned at the boys. "Watch,"

Throwing it with a curve, they watched as a mirror image appeared beside it. "Shadow replication," Hayashi clarified.

Kakashi ignored them as they sped through the air at opposite angles towards him. Just as they were nearing him, he turned the page, and lifted a kunai, brusquely deflecting the real blade, watching as the fake one passed through him and disappeared.

Flicking up the real kunai, he tossed it back at the trees, only to be hit by something else, bright and silvery. Watching as it hit the ground, Kakashi's eye widened. It was a sai.

* * *

Hayashi smirked at the look on the jounin's face. "Oh, it's on now, old man." She chuckled, before turning to Sasuke and Naruto. 

"Do you have a plan?" Naruto asked, rather eagerly, at the smug look on Hayashi's face.

"Of course."

Sasuke harrumphed.

"Sasuke, listen. There's more to this than meets the eye. How simple is your task, getting bells?"

Sasuke frowned again, and looked away. She had a valid point.

"There's something that you're missing."_ "Look beneath the beneath."_ She reminded him, silently.

He thought back to earlier, when Naruto had tried to charge Kakashi.

-o- -o- **FLASHBACK **-o- -o-

"Who are you kidding?" Naruto laughed. "There's no way that you'll be able to withstand an attack aiming to kill from us!"

Kakashi ignored him.

-o- -o-** END FLASHBACK **-o- -o-

"All of us…" Sasuke muttered, and Naruto turned to him.

"That's it!" Naruto laughed. "We have to do this together. Then, we can get the two bells, and we're home free!"

"What about Sakura?" Hayashi asked, frowning.

"Oh… damn. I forgot." Naruto said sadly. "There's only two bells… so one of us is going to be tied to the stump."

"Perhaps we should worry about that when we get to it." Sasuke said, turning to face them again. "There's got to be some meaning to being put in _three_ man cells, right? Why would Kakashi purposely break them up?"

Naruto nodded. "So what's your plan, Hayashi?"

"Well, one of you should distract Kakashi. Sakura is hiding across the clearing. While Kakashi is distracted, me and the other one will go inform Sakura of my plan. We'll all disguise ourselves as the distractor, and attack from all sides. I'll get the bells, and replace them with something else, while the three of you attack."

"That's pretty complicated." Naruto groaned. "And who's doing what?"

"You're doing the distracting."

Sasuke's head snapped in her direction at this information. Hayashi looked at him, sensing his anger.

"Naruto has a valuable skill that will be needed in the distraction. You need to come with me, because Sakura will probably freak at seeing me again, and she'll be more inclined to believe what you say over Naruto. Understand?"

Sasuke didn't say anything, but turned away. She had a good point.

"Okay. Are you ready?" Hayashi asked, a grin on her face. Naruto nodded, and grudgingly, Sasuke did as well. "Naruto, you're on!"

Naruto poofed out into the clearing, and Kakashi looked at him, only mildly interested.

"It's time for the match to begin!!" Naruto yelled, his arms crossed, and a triumphant look on his face. "Let's make this a real match, worthy of the greatest warriors!!"

"You may be thinking of the wrong kind of match," Kakashi said, stunned.

"What a fool," Sasuke muttered, turning to look at Hayashi, who had a wide grin on her face.

"So how are we getting across the field unnoticed?" he questioned.

"Hold tight," Hayashi said, holding out her hand.

Sasuke was appalled. "Are you insane?"

Hayashi glared at him. "Aren't you supposed to be trusting me?" Sasuke glared back.

Gingerly, he placed his hand in hers, and Hayashi began walking up the tree. "Focus your chakra into your feet, and let it circulate. It will help me get you up the tree. Don't use too much."

After a few excruciating moments, Sasuke had made his way up to the highest branch, which was swaying precariously under his weight, combined with Hayashi's.

"Now what?"

Hayashi ignored him, and scanned the sky. Then, she whistled, high and long, before looking at him with a maniacal grin spread across her face. "You're no afraid of heights, now, are you?"

"Not- no." Sasuke decided, looking at her rather confused.

"Good. Kizu's giving us a lift."

Sasuke remembered the name. It was the bird…

A great wind rushed around them, and Sasuke felt himself being lifted off the tree. He panicked and gripped Hayashi's hand tighter. He was going to fall!! Looking to see Hayashi, he watched as she sat, cross-legged, letting the wind lift her. He could feel the currents making a plateau below him, and stopped struggling, crossing his own legs.

Hayashi turned and smiled at him. The wind currents had whipped off her hood, and Sasuke stared at her silver hair. "What…?"

"I went white young." Hayashi replied, frowning at her silver locks.

Sasuke watched in amazement as Naruto was knocked into the water, and as several flesh and blood clones popped out, and started attacking Kakashi.

"Not long now," Hayashi grinned.

They were across the clearing now, and a sharp eagle's cry told Hayashi that Kizu was done. "Here we go!"

The wind disappeared, and they fell, still hand in hand, into the trees. "Be ready to grab the trees with your feet again," Hayashi instructed, twisting in the air, so that she was lying in the air, her feet perpendicular with the trees. Sasuke moved too, and then, they had passed the tree line.

Sakura looked up, and saw them coming, and shrieked. "Sasuke!!"

Hayashi pulled him to her, and planted her feet on a tree. Sasuke tried to do so as well, but was a little distracted by the abrupt motion of her tugging him close. Sasuke mused at the fact that this was somewhat like an embrace… when was the last time he had felt another's warmth? It was strangely comforting.

"Sasuke!" she chided. "Focus, please!"

Finally, Sasuke did as he was told, and they slowed, crashing through several branches. Sakura rushed towards them, concerned for Sasuke, and Hayashi hopped away, drawing her hood. Sasuke pushed Sakura away, and stood up.

"Listen. We have to work together to get the bells, Sakura. Otherwise, we'll all just be sent back to the academy. Hayashi is going to help us." Sasuke said, turning to where Hayashi was hidden in the shadows.

Sakura looked rather hesitant at the girl, but nodded to Sasuke, then to Hayashi. Hayashi grinned. She knew that the girl would take Sasuke's word- easily.

Sasuke explained the plan, as Hayashi moved to the edge of the trees. Naruto was running out of clones, so focusing, she sent him several more. Naruto grinned, and Kakashi turned, shocked, as several more Naruto's burst from around the clearing.

"Okay, ready!" Sakura said, and Hayashi turned around, to see two more Naruto's, one beaming eagerly, and one wearing a brooding glare that did not suit Naruto's face.

"All right. Go for it!! I'll be attacking from his right foot, under ground. Make sure that you hold him well!"

Sakura and Sasuke nodded, before Hayashi sent them out with several more clones- the other's she sent already dispersed. Naruto was getting tired, she could tell. So, of course she moved right away, sinking to the ground, on her hands and knees. Feeling the swirls of life beneath her, she grinned as the ground absorbed her. Across the clearing, no one noticed as a gleaming sai disappeared beneath the ground, sinking as if in quicksand.

"Nice to see your back,_ master!!_" Naruto chuckled, grabbing Kakashi's arms. Sasuke locked himself on Kakashi's leg, twisting himself, and bracing himself off Sakura, who locked one of her legs around Kakashi's other, and held his free arm. Then,_ Oh no! Below me!_

Kakashi had no time to move as a fourth Naruto reached up at the bells, coming from behind his right leg. Straining, he pulled away, and he felt the hand miss. However, the three remaining Naruto's jumped off him, two of them changing into Sakura and Sasuke. Grinning, they jumped away, and Kakashi was left there, Icha-Icha Paradise in his hand, and overly confused.

* * *

Kakashi took his time walking to the stump, and was surprised to find all three of his students standing there, arms folded, waiting for him to arrive. At the apex of the triangle, stood Naruto, who tossed Kakashi two little bells. Surprised, Kakashi watched them fall to the ground at his feel, jingling before falling silent. 

Reaching to his waist, Kakashi pulled of two acorns, tied with grass. Looking to his smiling students, he grinned. "Well done, to all of you. You pass!"

Naruto smiled past Kakashi, and Kakashi watched, confused, as Sakura and Sasuke nodded in acknowledgement over his shoulder as well. Turning, all he got was a glimpse of black, as it disappeared in a swirl of wind. He frowned for a moment, before turning back to his students, who were talking excitedly amongst themselves. Wondering just how deeply his students were involved with the strange girl, he handed them their bento lunch boxes. "You all have grasped the real concept beneath this lesson, and therefore, you all get lunch."

"The real concept? Team work?" Sakura said, smiling. She placed her box in front of Kakashi.

"Why else would they put us in three man cells?" Naruto asked, placing his with Sakura's. Sasuke followed, silently, before he walked away with the other two, who were heading back to town. Kakashi smiled at their retreating backs.

**To Be Continued…**

* * *

**A/N: **Well, I must say that I'm relieved that this chapter is over. I don't know why, persay. But you know, I've got the whole Zabuza arc next... it'll take at least two chapters, I suppose. Well.

As for the pairing polls... here's where the reviewer poll stands.

**Sasuke/Hayashi-** 1

**Naruto/Hinata-** 3

**Naruto/Sakura-** 1

**Naruto/Hayashi- **5

Other polls are things like Sasuke/Haku (as a girl) and Hayashi/Kiba or Hayashi/Shikamaru. I have been thinking about the pairings, the more and more I find myself writing. What would you say to Hayashi/Sasuke, and then Sakura/Naruto/Hinata? They're the two pairings that have benn just sticking in my head the more and more I think about the whole thing. However, please continue to give me your votes and opinions... they really do help!!

Please read and review.

**ancient-relic**


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